


The Séance

by nishiki



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abduction, Aged-Up Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate universe - kidnapping, Angst, Detective Diego Hargreeves, Evil Scientists - Freeform, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, More tags to be added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2020-08-13 19:24:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 91,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20179459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nishiki/pseuds/nishiki
Summary: In the year 2001, Klaus Hargreeves was kidnapped from his own home after his entire family left for the day. Now, eighteen years later, he is presumed dead by that same family. However, on the day of Sir Reginald's funeral, the remaining siblings are in for one hell of a surprise.





	1. Chapter 1

**October 2nd, 2001**

It was unfair. That was really the only way to describe the situation at hand as Klaus Hargreeves stood at the bottom of the staircase and watched his siblings put on their raincoats and grab their backpacks. This, right here, right now, was an injustice that was happening to him. 

Only once a year their family would go on a trip together. Once. It was always the same day. The day after their birthday. Why not on the exact day of their birth to celebrate it like this, Klaus couldn't tell. Still, every year the seven siblings looked forward to the day after their shared birthday because it meant packing their backpacks and leaving the house for an entire day of fun and adventure. A day completely without training. A day when they could almost be normal children. This year, Klaus was excluded. 

His brother Ben gave him a small smile as he shouldered his backpack and Diego made a grimace that was supposed to look funny to cheer him up. It didn't. Luther didn't even bother to look at him. After all, he put this on himself, right? There was no mercy to be expected from his big brother - especially not after the fight they had before breakfast. He had only wanted his big brother to put a good word in for Klaus but of course, Luther was always the loyal soldier, their father’s executioner, one might say. Allison, on the other hand, was chatting with Vanya and didn't even pay him any attention as he just stood there and watched while his siblings were all excited to leave this stuffy old house again. Five, however, couldn't look more bored even if he would be trying. He clearly wouldn't mind switching places with Klaus right now. 

»Dad« Vanya spoke up after a moment when they were all ready, just as Grace and Pogo arrived in the reception hall as well, both outfitted with jackets suited for the wild Autumn days. »Can't Klaus really come with us?«

»He put this on himself, Number Seven.« Reginald replied and didn't even spare him a second glance as he looked at Vanya with those cold dead eyes. »While we are out, your brother will have plenty of time to reevaluate his decisions and might come to the conclusion to behave better in the future. This punishment is non-negotiable. As for you, Number Four« Finally, his father turned to look at him, his posture just as rigid as always and Klaus felt himself stand straighter and pull his shoulder higher purely on instinct. »remember that I will see everything you do on the tapes later. Don't make me prolong your punishment.« 

He gave only a small hum in response.

»Speak up, Boy!«

»Yes, Sir.« He mumbled under his father’s cold stare. There was no other possible reply to his father’s words, after all. Reginald gave a sharp nod before he turned and led the charge out of the house. His siblings walked behind him like ducklings, all in one orderly row according to their numbers, the only gap between Number Three and Number Five as Klaus stayed behind miserably. Pogo, good old Pogo, formed the end of the procession. Mom, however, stayed behind for a second only to brush a comforting hand through his curls and press a kiss to his cheek.

»Don't worry, we’ll be back before you know it, Pumpkin. I’m sure your father will allow you to go out into the yard tomorrow if the weather allows it. Just practice your French while we are gone, Darling.« Her words were of good intent, they were loving and caring and should uplift his spirits. Right now, however, Klaus just wanted to pout and be angry or mope in his room. His mother didn't register that, of course. She was not programmed to register that. She just straightened out her bright blue skirt and followed the rest of the procession, locking the door behind her securely, caging Klaus inside. 

Then again, even if she wouldn't … There was no way he would be able to leave the house without the cameras picking up on it. For the longest time, Klaus just stood in the reception hall of the academy, staring at the locked door as if it might magically open again, as if his father would come back and tell him to get his things and join them for their annual family outing. Of course, that did not happen. 

He listened to the car doors falling shut and moments later how their limousine left the street. He was alone now. Abandoned. Under any different circumstances, that thought might be thrilling to him even. Not now, however. Not today. Not when it was their annual family trip and he was not allowed to go with them because he was grounded. Not with so many ghosts around and no one to talk to. Not when he knew that everything he would do could be held against him later. 

He had never been alone in the house. Someone had always been there with him. the thought frightened him.

After endless minutes of pointless waiting for his family to return to him to take him with them after all, Klaus walked back up into his room, ignoring the screaming specters following him up the stairs to his best ability even though it became harder each day now. The old house could be frightening and creepy on any day but today, as a storm was gathering on the horizon and him being all alone in this big mansion, it felt like walking through a horror movie. Not that he had seen many. He was barely twelve, after all. Dad would never allow him to watch horror movies. Then again, his entire life was one long horror movie as it seemed - filled to the brim with ghosts and ghouls and other monstrosities that his young mind could not yet understand quite. 

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Klaus tried practicing his french like mom said. It was hard though when no one was around to actually speak french with. Klaus had always been good at languages - especially when he could talk to someone in that language for practice. He tended to pick them up easily - mostly from the ghosts around him. Not all of them were Americans, after all. After two hours of this, he gave up and threw his book across the room instead. He didn't like his bedroom. It was small and cold. Always cold. It was much colder than Diego or Vanya’s room even though he was nestled right between them. 

It was just another injustice - as so many things seemed to be an injustice against him these days. His father didn't allow him to put anything on the walls except for some of his crude little drawings. What Reginald didn't know, however, was that Klaus was only hiding the scribbles he made all over the walls with his drawings. It wasn't like he wanted to do this … Sometimes he just couldn't stop himself. Sometimes, in the many sleepless nights he had to deal with, it was like he was possessed with something and he would just start scribbling on his walls and then, horrified about what he had done he would quickly put a piece of paper over it to hide the evidence of his madness. Because that was what it was, right? Madness. He was going crazy. All of this had started when he was eight and his father started to put him into that mausoleum. Maybe it was that. He had lost his marbles because of the mausoleum. 

That was also the reason why he was grounded. Not the mausoleum. His powers. He hated them with a passion and he didn't like practicing them. Last time, two days ago, he had made his father so angry with his lack of cooperation, that his father had hit him right in the face under the horrified gasps of his siblings in the room. It was his own fault, of course. He shouldn't have made his father so angry. He should have just cooperated and should have done whatever his father asked of him. And yet, at the time, the thought of conjuring a spirit had been much scarier than invoking his father's fury. 

As he threw himself face down into his bed with a frustrated groan, his eyes fell upon the Ouija board that was sticking out from underneath his bed. He hated this piece of wood. He hated his tarot cards. He hated it that he didn't have a cool power like Diego or Ben. He hated it that he couldn't switch it off like Allison or Five. He hated it that he was not as useful as Luther. He hated it that he was not normal like Vanya. He would give his right arm to be normal when it meant that he would no longer need to see ghosts. 

What if he would burn the board?

The thought crept into his mind without his permission but once it was there, it was hard to get rid of it again. Downstairs in the living room, there was always a fire going in the large fireplace. The house was ancient and always cold, after all. Central heating was only a thing in some of the parts of the building. He could just go down there and throw the board in, feed it to the flames. The thought was like a virus. His dad would be furious and probably just buy a new one but … Well, he already was furious, right? What worse could he do to Klaus than excluding him from the annual family outing? His siblings would leave town today to have fun and he was locked in this house with no one to talk to. 

Not even Mom was here. Not even Pogo was here. 

He was back on his feet in an instant, crouched down next to his bed and pulled out the old wooden board. The planchette lay on top of it. Armed with both items, Klaus stomped out of his room and down the hallway. If his father wanted to punish him - Well, then Klaus would give him a proper reason to punish him!

He made his way downstairs in no time and, as he strode into the living room and up to the fireplace, he half expected his father to materialize out of thin air to grab his arm and scold him. That didn't happen, of course. In the eyes of a child, their parents were like these magical, otherworldly creatures that seemed to see and hear everything, that knew everything. Figures of the utmost superiority and authority. The same was true for Reginald Hargreeves. Even when he was not at home, his spirit still lingered, his presence was still there. 

And so, Klaus stopped as he already stood in front of the crackling fire. He felt like he was being watched and as he moved his head to his left-hand side just slightly, he stared at the portrait of his father and the portrait stared right back at him. Crap.

With a deep sigh, Klaus took a step back and put the board down onto the marble coffee table in the center of the large room instead. What now? He felt lost. At least there were fewer spirits lingering around down here. His room was crowded in comparison. As he flopped down on a pillow on the ground and leaned with his back against the sofa behind him, he wondered what his siblings were doing right now. Surely, they had a great-ass time without him. They had probably already forgotten that he wasn't there. Luther was probably glad that Klaus wasn't with them, to begin with. He was a troublemaker, after all - but in a very different way than Diego and Five were troublemakers. He was always getting on everyone's nerves. Even Ben and Diego sometimes couldn't stand his outrageous behavior. He really was a mess, wasn't he? He was too loud, too dramatic, too extra, too … too _ Klaus_. 

_ Yeah_, he thought, _ they are probably glad that I had to stay home. They have probably already forgotten all about little old me_. 

And it wasn't like he _ wanted _ to be annoying. He didn't _ want _ to be a nuisance. He didn't _ want _ to be a troublemaker. He didn't _ want _his father to be angry. He wanted him to be proud, to acknowledge what Klaus could do. His eyes fell on the board again and the decision was made. He would make his father proud and he would show him that he could trust Klaus, that he could rely on Klaus as much as on the others. He would get a grip. 

So, he leaned forward, straightened his shoulders, rolled his head around from one side to the other, shook out his hands, took a deep breath and placed two fingers of each hand loosely on the planchette. 

※※※※※※※

Klaus was shaken awake by thunder roaring across the sky. At least that was what he initially thought. He had fallen asleep on the ground in the living room after trying and failing to make contact with any spirit through the Ouija board. He had grown frustrated by it. The spirits that were constantly around him were always so loud and ready to make themselves known to him - except when he wanted exactly that. 

Outside, the world was dark but as he glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece, he noticed that it was only 3 PM. The sky was darkened completely by the roaring storm outside. Slowly, Klaus rose from his seat on his pillow and walked over to one of the large windows. He could see how the wind was ripping at the tree in the courtyard. What if the storm would be so strong that it would uproot the tree and rip it away? Luther really liked that tree. Sometimes he would climb up the tree and sometimes he would help Klaus climb up with him. 

Luther would be sad if the tree would be gone. 

A loud bang coming from upstairs, made Klaus jump. The sound had been so loud that he was almost sure that it had been right next to him. »Probably the storm…« He muttered to himself quietly. The sound had seemed to come from his father’s office. Klaus was already at the staircase as he realized this. His father never allowed any of them inside his office but he would be pissed at Klaus if he would come back and all his stuff was destroyed by the rain and the storm, right? At least he needed to check it out. 

So, Klaus stomped up the stairs, barely noticing the spirits lingering in the corners. Some of them seemed oddly alarmed as Klaus reached the first-floor landing. His father’s office was right around the corner and although he suddenly felt a little nervous, he moved on. His stomach was suddenly filled with ants and he couldn't tell why. It was a lingering sensation deep down in his stomach, a crawling under his skin, fingertips on the back of his neck. He soldiered on regardless because his father always told him to be brave and not so much of a scaredy-cat. Not his exact words, of course, but in essence what he meant. 

To his surprise and horror, he found the door to his father's office wide open and the lights on inside. Odd. Had his father and the rest of them come home early and none of them had woken him up? He could hear someone rummaging inside the room. No one ever entered his father's room except his father. So, he must have come home, right? They had probably been surprised by the storm and decided to head back.

»Dad?« He asked as he walked up to the door. The last thing he saw when he entered the office, were three men in masks ripping out drawers and going through his father’s stuff. The last thing he heard was one of them cursing as his head whipped around and his eyes fell upon Klaus. The last thing going through his mind was that his father’s office didn't have any windows. He never saw the fourth man coming up from behind him.

**-End of Chapter 1-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to give the kids a bit more time before the apocalypse. So, I let Reggie die a bit earlier than on the show.
> 
> I also tweaked Five's backstory and made him honor his contract this time because involving Cha-Cha and Hazel in this story would just have been a MESS, dear LORD

**March 3rd, 2019**

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “feeling at home” meant to feel comfortable and relaxed. Nothing could be further from the truth as Diego Hargreeves walked the ancient halls of his family estate. The Umbrella Academy - both the name of the gigantic mansion that stretched over an entire block of a street and the name of the organization of superheroes that once resided in this mansion - had had humble beginnings that dated back to the late 19th century. 

It was Diego’s job as a policeman to find out certain things, to dig deep into problems and questions if necessary and he had had a few spare moments over the course of the last thirteen years to do so regarding his family home. It turned out that the mansion had begun as a simple and rather unremarkable Umbrella manufacturing company in the 19th century - founded by Sir Reginald Hargreeves (of course, an ancestor of the current Sir Reginald Hargreeves, at least as far as the general public was concerned). This was the part of the building which was nowadays their formal entry hall with the lavish wooden staircase. 

Over the decades and centuries in which the family fortune started to grow, the house had grown exponentially and started to swallow the surrounding buildings one by one. These days, in the year 2019, there was no longer a coherent floorplan of the building and no outsider could even begin to know all the entryways into the building or how they were all connected. It was a labyrinth to those uninitiated. The seven children that had grown up in this house under the stern and disapproving eyes of one Sir Reginald Hargreeves, knew this place by heart, of course. They knew every corner and every inch of it. Well … At least the few of them who were still alive knew all of this. 

Still, “feeling at home” - feeling comfortable and relaxed was not how he would describe being back at his family home, this huge building that he was so often passing when he was on duty in the city. The house seemed to be always in his peripheral, beckoning him to come back like a lighthouse that was casting its beacon onto the stormy sea. Until today, Diego had resisted it's siren call even as it had meant to leave behind his mother and not come back to see her for thirteen years. His mother - and that was only one more thing that Diego liked to keep from the people in his life who were not part of his family - was a robot. She was a highly evolved robot that almost behaved like a real human being and yet she was a robot. Deep down inside of him, Diego Hargreeves knew that his beloved mother was not truly capable of real feelings and still he saw love in her eyes even after thirteen years. 

Another thing he kept his mouth shut about was his father’s trusty assistant and companion Pogo, a sentient chimpanzee that dressed in human clothes, wore glasses and helped his father with his research.

The most important part about all of this was that Diego, despite it all, despite how weird it was, still loved both his mother and Pogo as he still loved all of his siblings. He had never been able to shake these feelings, even after leaving - escaping - the house thirteen years ago. His desire to leave back then at the tender age of seventeen to pursue a career at the police force had been fueled by the fear that he might end up like three of his four brothers. They had been seven, originally. Two girls and five boys. 

The first of them to go … the first of them who disappeared from the portraits that his father would commission every year to document their growth, had been Klaus and he would never forget the day, never stop regretting the day. It was ingrained in his mind like a deep scar or an old wound that would reopen again and again every year on the day after his birthday. This too was one more reason why he avoided this place. It had happened on the day of their annual family trip. Klaus had been excluded from it after his father had grown frustrated with him and his lack of progress in his training. To this day, Diego wished he would have said something, made his father change his mind and allow Klaus to come with them. He remembered telling Klaus that it would probably be boring and that he should be glad that he could stay home.

The moment they returned home that day still haunted his worst nightmares.

The second of them to disappear had been Five. Only a year after Klaus had disappeared, so too had Five. He had gotten into an argument with their father during breakfast- his argumentative and brash nature only fueled and heightened since the disappearance of one of their own. Klaus absence from the house had been like a wound, a gaping hole right in front of them. They had all become bitter and cruel towards one another. Then Five had gotten up from the table, stormed out of the house and was never seen again. His father, shortly thereafter, had hung a portrait of his lost boy over the fireplace in the parlor. 

Ben's death had probably been the most traumatic experience of all of those and yet … with Ben at least they had had some form of closure. There had been a body. The other two of them just … vanished. Poof and gone. Ben's death had been gruesome and bloody and traumatizing … but at least they had a place to mourn him. There had been so little of him left that they had to cremate him but at least his ashes rested on the property underneath the statue his father had commissioned for him. And so, thirteen years ago, there had been only four children out of seven left. For Diego, this had been a sign to leave this place right after Ben’s funeral.

His father died three days ago from a heart attack in his sleep. That was, at the very least, what the coroner's report stated. Diego, due to his work as a detective, had had an easy time to get the file. Seeing his father lying on that metal slab in the morgue had been … weird. He had always thought that he would feel relief then. He didn't. He had felt nothing at all and that was somehow more frightening than anything else. The monster from his dreams, the man who had tormented him all his life, was dead and he felt _ nothing_.

Today they had all come together in this house, those who were left. He felt a bit like he was in the Hunger Games. Only four of them had been left standing, the rest of them perished - gone. Until a miracle had happened. Until a song that had been echoing through the entire house had been interrupted by a wormhole opening up in the middle of the courtyard and spat out their long lost brother Number Five, now a young man in his late twenties and not the brat that they all remembered. 

This happened two hours ago and Diego was still none the wiser how to feel about it as they all sat down in the living room of their home. They had strewn their father's ashes into the wind - well … they had dumped them on the ground and while they had been doing that Diego couldn't have helped but to think that Klaus would have laughed about it. And now they were all here: His siblings sitting awkwardly in the living room like they once did when they were teenagers. Five stared uncomfortably at the portrait above the fireplace, as if he was unable to connect the boy on the portrait with the arrogantly raised eyebrows and the royal features to himself. It was so weird to see him again now but it wasn’t hard to connect the young man at their side to the boy on the portrait. Five hadn't changed all that much. He had still those sharp features, now only highlighted with his age. He had still the same green eyes and the scrutinizing gaze. He had briefly told them about the apocalypse and how he had traveled through time and still none of them knew how to handle any of the information.

The apocalypse would hit them on April 1st, 2019. Well, if that wasn’t just the biggest joke in the history of jokes.

He could see it in the way Vanya was curling her hair around her finger, in the way Allison kept sipping on her drink, in the furrowed brows of Luther and the hunched way he sat on the sofa. The fucking end of the world was right around the corner now and Luther was still convinced that this had something to do with their father's death as if Reginald had been the gatekeeper to the apocalypse and thus the only thing that could keep it from happening. After all this time, their brother was still idolizing this man so much. 

He had never left this house. He had never had any friends outside. He had stayed behind and even went to the moon for four years all by himself just because Reggie had told him to. Luther, to this day, had not realized why Diego and the other two had left back then, he hadn't understood that their father wouldn't have batted a lash if Luther would have died on a mission. And now, looking at Luther in all these layers he was wearing, hiding the true size of his body, Diego grew more and more aware that Luther might know even more about all of this than the rest of them. 

»Diego, would you stop pacing and sit down for a minute? You are making everyone uncomfortable.« Allison addressed him with a sneer at last. They had never really gotten along, the two of them. Perhaps because she had always been Luther’s back-up singer or cheerleader and never questioned what he did. Or maybe it was just because they were inherently different people and he had always been freaked out by her power. So often, their father had told her to use it against her siblings. So often, Allison hadn't needed their father’s orders to use her power against her siblings. 

He turned to look at her and found that the rest of his siblings were staring as well. Then, his eyes fell upon the coffee table and he felt his stomach turn. He hated that thing. 

※※※※※※※

_ The limousine came to a halt right in front of the building. Rain was drumming loudly onto the roof of the car as if stones were crashing from the skies down onto the unassuming car. It wasn’t a hailstorm either, just a normal thunderstorm - even though it was a more brutal one. The wind was ripping at them and shoving them as soon as they got out of the car, one after the other. Quickly, the children were ushered inside by their mother followed by Reginald who took his time to open his umbrella first, and Pogo who came in last. The first thing that Diego noticed, however, were the scratches around the lock outside of the door and, as Mom opened the door, the fact that it was no longer locked. He remembered vividly watching his mother through the car window how she had locked the door before they had left in the morning. _

_ »Somethings wrong.« He muttered right away. _

_ »What? No, it's not.« Luther huffed and just walked inside as if he had not seen the scratches around the lock, as if he had forgotten that the door had been locked in the first place. Luther was always quick to dismiss Diego’s observations - mainly because he himself was not the most observative. Luther had his head in the clouds all the time. He was too busy with the stars above to see what was happening around him. »Klaus probably just left and forgot to lock the door again when he came back. _ If _ he came back.« _

_ It was almost midnight by now and Klaus sneaking out in the middle of the night was not too unusual, by this point. He had started sneaking out a year ago, seemingly uncaring for the consequences that this would have when their father would learn about his misbehavior. Their father knew that Klaus would sneak out every now and then, of course. He had cameras everywhere, after all. Until now, the old man had never said anything, though. Apparently, he didn't care so long as Klaus would come back home and not be injured. Because being injured meant that he couldn't train and that meant that the entire team would be experiencing a setback. _

_Every time Klaus got injured in any way, Luther and Five would claim that they could move on without Klaus, that they wouldn't need their brother to succeed but their father was not of that opinion and neither was Diego. His brothers were blind to the qualities that _ the Seancé _ possessed even without using his powers. Klaus was, in fact, the glue that held their team together even when the others would make fun of him or humor him, reducing him to being the lookout all the time. _

_ He had a weird feeling creeping up his spine as he followed Luther and Mom inside, the rest of his siblings hot on their tail. The reception hall looked just like it had when they left hours and hours ago. Everything seemed completely normal. Yet, he could feel how Ben was suddenly tugging on his sleeve and as he looked at Number Six, his eyes were uneasy, drifting from side to side as if he could see something Diego was blind to. No, that was Klaus’ thing, right? _

_ For the longest time, they had been certain that Klaus was just crazy when they were little. It had taken long for them all to understand that Klaus could actually see ghosts and his father had only accepted this as truth when Klaus had been able to give him a detailed description of a murder victim, of how they died, what their name was and where they were buried. He had been five at the time and had had no possible way of researching all of this on his own. After all, he couldn't even read at the time. Needless to say, this experience had scared his little brother. _

_ Still, Ben and Klaus had the most occult powers, one might say. They both hated their powers with a passion, they both were a bit creepy and unnerving and thus they liked to stick together. Just like Diego liked to stick with them. _

_ From the beginning, it had been like this. Allison and Luther, Five and Vanya, Ben, Klaus, and Diego. Everyone loved Ben, though. He fitted in with everyone - unlike Diego and Klaus who had always been the most rebellious, the odd ones out. Five was argumentative and aggressive, yes, but he possessed qualities both Diego and Klaus were lacking. Diego had never fitted in with the rest because he was too rude and wild and angry and competitive. Klaus had never fitted in because he was too loud and outrageously himself and would never stop talking. Diego had quickly understood that Klaus was only loud so that he wouldn't hear the ghosts that were always yelling at him. Ben had understood this too. With them, Klaus could be quiet from time to time. _

_ »No, I agree with Number Two.« That was Five who walked straight through the reception hall and to the right where the parlor was located. »Something is wrong.« _

_ The constant orange glow that would come from the parlor had faded away. The fire must've gone out at some point. Well, of course, Klaus had probably not fed it any more wood, right? They were not allowed to, after all. Mom usually did this. He followed Five as his brother stepped through the archway into the parlor. Everything looked normal. The fire was out and it was dark except for the flashes of lightning that cast the whole room in daylight every other second now. _

_ »Klaus?« Diego called out but his brother didn't answer. He could see a pillow on the ground in front of the sofa and the Ouija board on the coffee table. Klaus hated that thing. Their father would force him into dimly lit rooms with this thing and make him contact the dead and every time Klaus would get scared or panic. Once his nose had started to bleed and he had passed out from whatever happened to him in that room. That he would try to use it freely and all alone seemed a little odd to Diego. It was dangerous, after all. There was no way of telling what kind of shit could happen when using a Ouija board all alone and even the various medallions and charms Klaus would wear could not protect him from every malicious thing. _

_ »Not here.« Five shrugged. _

_ »Come on« Luther huffed from behind them just as the sound of the front door falling shut echoed through the entire house. Dad and Pogo had made it inside. »He’s probably in his bed. Why would he be here anyway? You know how he gets during storms. He’s in his room with the lights on or something.« _

_ He was probably right. Klaus was hiding under his covers and that thought made something inside Diego's chest ache a little. He had always felt protective over Klaus. He was his little brother - just like Ben and Five - even though they were all the exact same age. Klaus was different, though. He had always been the most in need of protection it seemed. He was thinner and smaller than the rest of them. The only one who was shorter than Klaus was Ben. Even Vanya had a few centimeters on Klaus. He always seemed sickly too. It was his powers, Diego kept reminding himself. Klaus was standing with one foot in the world of the dead and with the other in the world of the living. He was both dead and alive at the very same time. _

_ »Children!« Reginald bellowed behind them. »What is this nonsense? To bed with you! I expect you to be up for breakfast tomorrow morning at seven as usual! So you better stop dilly-dallying and go to bed now.« _

_ Luther, Allison, and Vanya were the first to quickly nod and run up the formal staircase in the reception hall while Diego, Five and Ben lingered for a moment longer. With a soft huff and a roll of his eyes, Five then blinked out of existence in a flash of blue and Ben started walking away as well. _

_ »What's the matter, Number Two?« _

_ »Nothing, Sir.« Diego quickly replied and followed Ben, biting his tongue for the things he wanted to say to his father. Something wasn't right. Something wasn't right at all. The Ouija board on the coffee table was like a reminder of something, like a sign that something was wrong. Yet, Diego could not quite place his finger on it now. _

_ »Dad!« Luther’s voice sounded alarmed enough to let Diego forget about everything else as he followed his brother’s voice and ran up the stairs and down the corridor. It came, to his honest surprise, from their father's office. And there his siblings all gathered, staring at the wide-open doors of the office. They had been closed when they left earlier. Had Klaus ventured inside out of spite? Not even he was this crazy, right? The moment he reached Luther and the rest, he knew immediately that this had nothing to do with Klaus. _

_ The office was a mess. Drawers had been pulled completely out of cupboards and closets and their contents dumped on the floor. There were papers lying around everywhere, priceless artifacts of his father's shattered on the ground. And … blood on the floor. It was not much but enough to tell Diego right this instant that his brother was in danger. A rational part of his brain told him that the blood didn't have to be Klaus’. It could be the blood from whoever broke into this room. Deep down, however, he knew that it was his brother’s. His gut told him. _

_ »What is the reason for this ruckus?« Their father's voice echoed from the high walls behind them again as he walked towards the group of his children before Luther made room for him. _

_ »Someone broke in!« Ben chimed up. »I saw the scratches on the lock at the front door!« _

_ »And it was no longer locked!« Diego added quickly. So Ben had noticed it too, huh? He shouldn't be surprised. Ben was perceptive and smart. He would have his back in this investigation. Diego knew this right away as Ben and he exchanged a glance. _

_ Reginald froze as he saw the chaos in his office. For a second, he just stood there and observed the mess, his face unreadable as always. It was hard to tell if he was even bothered by the sight before him - until he spoke up, at last »To bed, children.« _

_ »But Dad-« _

_ »To bed!« He shouted and startled his children into movement. »Number One, Number Two, you will stay with me and help me assess the damage. Number Five, search for your brother. He is probably hiding if there has been a break-in.« _

If_. As if there would be a question about that. Five blinked out of existence while their sisters and Ben shuffled down the corridor. None of them would sleep tonight though, Diego could already tell. His mind was racing. His heart was pounding. There was something missing. A piece of the puzzle. It seemed right in front of him but he couldn't see it. _

_ And, all the while Luther and he helped their father, Diego could feel something tugging on his heart. He could feel that something wasn't right. He could feel that a connection had been severed. He could feel the abyss opening up beyond his feet - calling for him to jump. _

_ Long before they watched the security tapes with their father, Diego knew that his brother was gone. Long before they saw on the tapes how a man hit Klaus on the head with a crowbar, Diego knew that he would never see his baby brother again. _

※※※※※※※

The coffee table was awfully ugly. Where it stood had once been a marble table in the center of the room. Now this wooden monstrosity had taken its place. It was a sentimental piece of furniture, something to remember their lost sibling with. For weeks after the break-in and after Klaus’ disappearance, his father had not allowed any of them to touch the Ouija board that Klaus had left behind on the table and then, almost a year after it all went down, they had been greeted by this new coffee table. His father had commissioned it to look like a Ouija board, a memory of his lost son with a planchette out of the most expensive crystal. Klaus would hate it. The table was of dark polished palisander, crafted by a true professional carpenter. The letters and numbers that had been carved into the tabletop were meticulous and beautifully designed with specks of gold inside the wood to make them stand out more. In his father's eyes, it was a beautiful piece of furniture. To Diego, it was a reminder of what they had lost only a day after they had all turned twelve. 

To this day, he remembered how little Klaus used to be back then. He had not yet hit his growth spurt. Maybe he never had. 

There was a storm gathering on the horizon and Diego wished he could go back to his apartment instead of lingering around to discuss the apocalypse with his remaining siblings like any other routine mission of the Umbrella Academy. As if they had never left this place in the first place. Then again, it might be a little important. 

»So … how are you … looking like this?« Vanya addressed Five after a second. His sister had always been timid and quiet, rarely courageous enough to speak in the presence of Luther and Diego. The years hadn't changed much about it. She was still refusing to look at him. Well, then again, he had been cruel to her before, allowed his anger over her book to flow out of him and punch his sister in the gut. »I mean you said you spent over 40 years in the future, right?«

»I was found.« Five explained with a wave of his hand that almost looked nonchalant - as if all of this was not worth explaining while he was taking a sip of whiskey. Five couldn't quite betray how tired and exhausted he truly was, though. »By the Commission.«

»What’s “the Commission”?« Luther chimed in right away, his interest suddenly perked. Until now, Luther had been rather busy doubting that their father had died of natural causes. Not that Diego was all that surprised that his brother refused to believe him. They had never been close.

»Not important right now. They offered me a job. They wanted me to work for them for 5 years and then I would be free to go to whatever time I wanted. So, I did just that and they gave me back the body I had when I was your age and send me back here.« 

»That's all so weird.« Diego huffed. »I mean … Dad said you could go nuts from time travel, right?« 

»I assure you, _ Number Two_, that I have not _ gone nuts_.« Even though the weird look in his eyes told a different story. Five’s eyes were those of a feral animal. They were wild and unfocused - the eyes of a crazy person more than Klaus’ eyes had ever been. 

Then again, this was not new. Five had always been different, in a way. Not necessarily wise beyond his years as he liked to claim. Just … different. Maybe the smartest of them all, yes, but not very likable. The only two people he had really gotten along with were Ben and Vanya - although he had tolerated Klaus as well whenever it had been convenient for him to acknowledge Klaus’ existence. Oddly enough, he had sometimes even implored Klaus’ help. _Because he was a wildcard_, Five had once told him, _ you never know what he’s going to do. _

»Anyway, the end of the world. Let's say we believe you. How do we stop it?« 

That was when the glass eyeball first entered Diego’s life. Five pulled it out of the pocket of his suit jacket as if it meant nothing that he was carrying a fake eyeball around with him for God knows how long. 

»What's this?« Luther made a face as he looked at the offending prosthesis. 

»That's our only hint on the person who will start this shit show and cause the apocalypse.« Five answered in a small sigh, his eyes never leaving the eyeball. There was no way of telling how often Five had stared at this thing in those forty years of isolation. There was something else flickering over his brother’s face, though. Something Diego could not quite name yet and which seemed too familiar at the very same time. »When I … arrived at the future I … I found you guys. You fought them … Whoever it was … And Luther … Luther still had this in his hand.« 

»What do you mean … you found us?« Vanya finally addressed Five and tentatively reached out a hand to their long lost brother as she would have done seventeen years ago when she had been the only person in the room able to calm Five down most of the time.

»You were all dead.« Five shook his head shortly and quickly continued before the true weight of his words could sink in. »I didn't find you all … I mean … I didn't find … Vanya, Ben, and Klaus. They were not there. For the longest time, I thought that Vanya and Ben had survived somehow and tried looking for them. But when I found Vanya’s book in the one library that still stood, I learned about Ben’s death.« 

It wasn't much of a shock that they had all died. Yet, it was like a punch in the guts. Not so much the fact that they had all died before they could stop the apocalypse but the thought that their brother had found them all and had to bury them. It was too much. Diego could almost see it in front of him. A thirteen year old Five standing amongst the rubble, helpless and hit by grief at the sight of his dead siblings. Behind all his arrogance and bravado, Five had always loved them. That much was true about all of them. Diego couldn't even fathom how he would have managed in Five’s place. He would have probably offed himself.

»Did you ever … find out what happened to Klaus?« Diego finally asked.

»No.« Five gave a sigh that clearly told Diego that Five had expected this question. »And I didn't think that it was important, I had other things to focus my energy on.«

»Not important? Wow, that's even for you a new low, Five.« Diego growled. »He’s our brother.«

»He _ was _our brother, Diego.« Luther interrupted and, as Diego looked at Luther now - really looked at him - he could see the pain in his eyes. He could see the moisture that Luther never allowed to let go - And he hated him for it. »And we all love and miss him. But you have to let it go. It has been eighteen years now, Diego and you are still trying to find him. Let it go. Our brother is dead just like Ben.« 

Diego jumped off his seat without thinking about it, ready to pounce on Luther. His brother who had never even tried finding Klaus, who had never even tried to find out what happened to him. »Oh, so you guys loved him now, did you? Then why did none of you ever search for him? Why did none of you ever try to find out more about what happened to him? I-Instead Allison fucking ditched us all for Hollywood, you kept licking Dad’s boots and Vanya wrote a fucking tell-all book where she described Klaus as crazy and said that he had probably been killed and ditched somewhere! S-So d-don't tell me you loved him! H-He was my_ best friend_! What do you expect m-me t-to d-do?«

Behind him, Vanya let out a sharp gasp and as Diego whirled around to look at her, she was pointing one shaking finger down on the coffee table where the planchette had just moved all across the board to the word ‘Hello’.

**-End of Chapter 2-**


	3. Chapter 3

_ Hello_. 

The planchette rested on the word as if it meant nothing at all. The room, previously filled with the sound of squabbling siblings, had been stunned into silence. 

»Has anyone hit the table?« It was Luther who found his voice first but it lacked his usual tone of superiority. In fact, he sounded unsure. He sounded as if he knew perfectly well that no one had hit the table or had even been close enough to the heavy wooden table.

»No.« Vanya breathed with slight hesitation creeping up on her. Her eyes were still fixated on the planchette and its current position on the table as if she was unable to take her eyes off of it.

»You sure?«

»That planchette is fucking heavy, Dude!« Diego shot back. Every one of them knew that no one had moved the table or touched it in any way. Every one of them knew that this thing had moved on its own and every one of them was scared to address the elephant in the room now. »It wouldn't be moved just by hitting the table awkwardly!« 

They returned to staring at the table as if they had never seen it before. The planchette hovered innocently over the word “Hello” without any indication that it had ever developed a life of its own and moved without anyone touching it. Not one of his siblings was even remotely close to this awkward piece of furniture. Not even Luther’s knees reached the edge of the table and Diego had not moved it too as he jumped up from his spot on the sofa. If they had a telekinetic in their family then maybe it could be explained this way but none of them had the power to move stuff with their minds. 

»There must be a reasonable explanation.« Five muttered, momentarily distracted from his original mission of talking about the apocalypse. As if on cue, the planchette was lifted a few inches above the tabletop and hovered there until it all but slammed down on the table and back down on the word “Hello”. 

»What the actual fuck?« Diego all but blurted out as the planchette did the same thing again. »Okay! Okay! Hello! What the fuck?« 

»What are you doing?« Luther’s voice was near a panicked shout as he too finally got up from his spot on dad’s old favorite armchair. He stared at Diego with wild blue eyes as if he had seen a ghost or was beaten into submission by the fear that Diego had, at last, lost his marbles.

»Talking to the fucking thing!«

»What thing?«

»The ghost or … I don't know! Do I look like a medium to you?« Diego sneered back. »Obviously something wants to make contact with us!«

»So what do we do?« Allison chimed in to distract her squabbling brothers enough for them to get their heads back into the game instead of shouting at each other.

»I don't know! Ask questions? That's what Klaus used to do.« Vanya quickly offered.

»Okay … Okay … Are you a ghost?« Allison took over the reins and her question led to Five rolling his eyes with a groan. He was a man of science, despite everything. To him, the notion of ghosts existing seemed still ridiculous even after growing up with a brother who was in fact able to see ghosts. For a second nothing happened but then the planchette moved across the tabletop and landed securely on “No”. 

»It works!« Allison gasped before taking over completely. The rest of her siblings were stunned into silence and confusion and shock anyway. At least they looked like they were as Diego allowed himself to look around the group and study their faces. 

Vanya was even paler than usual and bit down on her thumbnail as she used to as a child whenever she grew nervous or when Luther and Diego argued a bit too violently. Luther’s mouth hung open as he looked first at the table and then back to Diego as if he had any reasonable answer for their former leader. Five seemed the most calm and collected but he could tell in the way he was furrowing his brows that he was already trying to find an answer for this. 

»Who are you?« 

The planchette moved again but not towards the letters that had been professionally burned into the wood but to the numbers. Diego's heart rate suddenly picked up so much that he was sure that his heart would explode out of his chest. He could feel the energy levels in the room rising. Finally, the planchette landed on the number 4 and all of them took a collective gasp.

»Klaus?« Diego’s voice was nothing more than a thin little gasp, a breath of wind leaving his mouth. He was aware of how odd his siblings looked at him as if they had not made the connection right away but quickly the planchette moved over to “Yes”.

Suddenly, he felt like he was about to pass out. His knees were buckling before he allowed himself to slump down on the sofa again. Once more his family was stunned into silence and the cynical voice in the back of his mind told him that there was no way that this was really Klaus communicating with them _ somehow._ It just wasn’t possible. He had to remind himself over and over again. It was not possible. 

»What- Where- How?« Luther stuttered but the planchette didn't move again. 

»Where are you?« Five then took over, his eyes resting on the planchette with so much concentration written all over his face that he was sure the thing would explode and then with a little hesitation, the planchette moved again.

»B« Luther read out immediately. »L-A-C-K-W-O-O-D. Blackwood? What is that? Where is that?« 

The planchette started moving again but it was not answering the question this time as it quickly moved across the table. So quickly, in fact, that it was hard to follow. »Someone is coming.« Vanya mumbled before the planchette moved quickly to the word “Goodbye” before any of them could do anything else.

As thunder rolled across the sky, the spell was broken again and the remaining five Hargreeves’ children left with nothing but confusion, shock and perhaps - at least in Diego’s case - with the hint of hope in their hearts. 

※※※※※※※

The world around him was pure white. It had always been like this. A world of snow. He couldn't remember any time that it had been different. No, that was not true. Sometimes, very rarely, he vaguely remembered timber walls and dark wallpaper, wooden floors, and rich carpets. But then his world would be drowned in white again and he would forget about the vague images his mind sometimes conjured up for him. Dreams. Perhaps those were dreams that came to him whenever he was allowed to sleep or when his body and mind finally would give in. This room he was being kept in was his whole entire world and he could hardly recall that it had ever been different.

His world, his entire world, was a bright white room with a high ceiling and loud neon lights, with a metal door and an uncomfortable bed. He was not allowed to leave the bed as the straps that were attached to the bed prohibited him from moving most of the time. He liked this room better than the lab, though. At least here he could nap if he wanted to - or if he was allowed to.

He didn't know how much time had passed since he had first entered this room. It must have been quite a while. He had grown up in this room. Of course, he had not seen himself in a mirror for a long time now but … he could tell that he was no longer twelve years old like on the day that he was taken from his home. Home … sometimes he remembered it but there were days when he didn't know that he had ever been anywhere else. Now, he had hair everywhere on his body - which was a bit unnerving sometimes - and Dr. Blackwood would get one of his assistants to shave his face every other day to keep him clean and fresh. When his hair would grow too long, Blackwood would shave it off completely and leave him with nothing but stubbles on his head for a few weeks.

»He is coming.« The ghost said. He was always around Klaus. That was not new, exactly. He had always been surrounded by ghosts throughout all his life. This ghost was different, though. This ghost was his brother. His brother Ben. One of his closest friends in his other life. The life far away from this awful place. And Ben was always there by his side, no matter how awful things got. He remembered the day when Ben had first appeared to him in this room. He had been soiled in blood, pale and afraid and Klaus had screamed so loudly that the doctor came running to sedate him. He had known right away that his brother, his beloved brother Ben, had died gruesomely. Now, Ben would never get to grow up.

»Was about time … I need to pee.« Klaus mumbled quietly under his breath and added a mirthless little chuckle. His throat was still hoarse from his last session in the lab. He hardly felt the sandpaper anymore that was lining his throat all the time. Ben rolled his eyes and just then, the door was unlocked and opened from the outside. »Oh, hey Doc, good morning! Or … afternoon? Evening? I have no idea. A clock would be nice. Though I think the ticking might drive me insane. Maybe I am already insane. Maybe you are not here at all. Anyway, a pleasure to see you, as always.« 

»I’m glad to find you in such a chipper mood today, Number Four.« Dr. Blackwood replied as coldly as ever. He reminded Klaus of his father. At least as far as he could remember that cold dead fish. His thick glasses glistened slightly in the loud neon light from above and made his face look even more pastry and zombie-like as usual.

»Oh, you know me, I have a sunny disposition. I like the way the light bounced off of your dome.« Ben let out a groan but Klaus didn't look at him as he snickered over his own little comment. He knew that Blackwood hated it when he would comment on his ever-receding hairline. Then again, there was not much hair left to even call it that anymore. However, Klaus had learned that he was better off not interacting with Benny when the doctor was around. Not that it would change much about anything. He had cameras trained on him all the time. »Please, do tell me, Doc, what can I do for you today? A nice little foot rub? Do you need a new haircut? Can I offer you advice?« 

»I come bearing bad news, Number Four.« Blackwood stated and remained near the door, one hand in the pocket of his lab coat. »Bad news for you, at least.«

»Oh? What is it?«

»It is about your father.«

»Daddy?«

»The news broke today that he died of a heart attack.« 

This time he did exchange a glance with Benny. »No, that can't be true.« Klaus huffed. »The man is like a vampire or an alien or whatever. Dad is immortal!«

»I’m afraid not, Number Four.« Blackwood replied with a smile on his face. »And I cannot say that I would be saddened by the news. Your father was a bad man, after all.«

»Yeah, yeah I know.« Klaus rolled his eyes but deep down inside the news hit him harder than he would have expected. 

After all this time, he had given up hope to ever see his family again and yet maybe a part of him, the twelve-year-old boy that had been taken from his home, had trusted that his father would never stop looking for him. For some reason, hope had never left him that one day this door would open and his father would stand there with his stern face and disappointment written all over his face - and Klaus would be free and would see his siblings again. He missed them. He missed Mom. He missed Pogo. He missed his dad.

»In light of this news, I think we cancel your training for today. Of course, you will be expected to perform tomorrow just as highly as you usually would. We can't be slacking off now that we have been making that much progress with your powers. I always knew that your father never understood the true potential of you children. I just wished I could have saved more of you.«

Blackwood didn't wait for a response from Klaus as he turned around and left the room to lock the door securely behind himself. He left Klaus behind in a sea of silence and static filling his ears. It was almost deafening. Not even Ben said anything and Klaus … Well, he couldn't do anything but stare at the never-changing ceiling. He stared and stared until a sob threatened to escape him.

His dad was dead. 

He was dead and he would never come to find him. He would never come to save him. He missed his Mom. He missed Diego. He missed all of them. As the tears finally spilled over, Ben sat down on the edge of the bed but Klaus didn't have any energy left to make him corporal now. 

»I want Mommy…« He choked as he pulled on his restraints sluggishly. They didn't give him room to move. He just wanted to move. He just wanted to curl up on his side and cry like a child and yet he couldn't. »I want Mom…«

»I know.« Ben’s voice was soft and his eyes sad as his brother looked down on him. »I know.« 

The days that followed the news of his father's death were hell. Every day of training was hell. Blackwood was pushing and pushing and pushing until Klaus would pass out or his brain would start bleeding out through his fucking nose. And still, he was never satisfied with the results. He still tried to push him further every time. He would push him until Klaus had nothing left to give anymore and would drop dead.

Reginald would be proud, though. 

No longer Klaus was the useless kid that could only see ghosts and didn't even want to talk to them. Ghosts were his littlest problem these days. He had learned how to banish them years ago. He had learned how to help them to the other side a year after he had been taken from his home. No big deal. Everything else was much harder. 

»They all come back home for the funeral.« Ben explained as he was sitting on the bed at Klaus’ feet. He was so bone-chillingly tired after his training that he was ready to pass out. Today, they had practiced his telekinesis as a defense mechanism until Klaus had been hit so many times by those baseballs from the machine that he couldn't get up anymore. »Tomorrow. Allison comes back to the city too. Of course, Diego will be there.«

»Luther?«

»He will come home too.« 

There was not much information about his siblings that he had gotten ever since he had been snatched. Blackwood liked to tell him one or two things now and then as if to taunt him - As if to prove to Klaus that his siblings had moved on and forgotten about him. Diego, his brave Diego, became a detective. He had always wanted that. And Vanya had left the city right after turning seventeen - even though she had moved back a couple of years ago according to Ben. For some reason, Dr. Blackwood had been really upset when Vanya left town. Allison was a movie star and Luther … Luther went to the moon. Poor Luther.

He produced a low little hum in the back of his throat. »I wished I could be with them. I miss them so.«

»I know.« Ben replied softly and for a moment, they were both quiet. Ben had stopped to tell him that he would get out of here a long time ago. He would never be able to escape. That was, after all the point of the restraints and of this specially secured room. Blackwood wasn’t stupid and Klaus was a weapon. »But … You could … You know … _ Try_.«

»I’m not strong enough.«

»You’ve never tried it before.« Ben shrugged. »At least not over such distance and Dad put up the biggest Ouija board in the history of Ouija boards in the parlor. Almost as if he knew you could use that.«

»I can't though.«

»You can! I’ve seen you do crazier shit than this!« Ben urged again. When Ben was still alive and they together at home, his excitement - whenever he had allowed to show it - had always been contagious. Now, however, Klaus could hardly muster the strength to keep his eyes open. The drugs would soon knock him out anyway. »Come on, Klaus. You sleep now and tomorrow you will do this. You need to get out of here or do you wanna rot here for another eighteen years? Jesus, Klaus! If you would have been a baby when this fucker got you, you would be in college by now!« 

»I would be done with college by now…« Klaus muttered. »If he hadn't snatched me…« 

He had learned quickly, in those eighteen years - and he could only trust Ben that it really had been this long - that imagining what his life would look like if he wouldn't be here, was not healthy or good for him. It was torture, nothing less than this. And still, he had spent hours daydreaming of the life he would never have. He would have left the house together with Ben and Diego when hitting eighteen - perhaps earlier - and they would have found a new place to live. Ben would have gone to college, Diego would have gone to the police academy and he … Maybe he would have gone to beauty school or art school or whatever. He would have done something creative. 

»I would have a nice apartment now … filled with stupid houseplants and paintings.« 

»And you still can have all of this.« Ben urged as he used to when he had still been alive and they at the house and happy. »But you need to try. Promise me you’ll try.« 

»I promise.« Klaus mumbled after a moment that he spent lost deep in thought. Now what? He could not break his promise to Benny - Even at the risk that Ben was not really here. Even at the risk that he was just imagining Ben at his side. At least, he thought, he would have ample time to rest before that because Blackwood would be gone tomorrow and that meant no experiments. He could rest.

※※※※※※※

_ »He was our brother, Diego. And we all love and miss him. But you have to let it go. It has been eighteen years now, Diego, and you are still trying to find him. Let it go. Our brother is dead just like Ben.« _

A storm was brewing on the horizon. He could feel the energy sizzle through him as if he was a live wire. Not him, of course. He was not really here. This was just a new trick he had picked up. Astral projection - more or less. He had no idea how to describe it and no one was here to ask. 

His body was still in the little white room and Ben was still watching over him there. His mind - his soul, whatever - was here though, at his old home. He could feel the energy draining from him as if he was bleeding from an open wound. It was fast and he knew that he didn't have much time to make himself known in any way. In fact, he didn't even know if he could do such a thing, to begin with. He had never done this before. Yes, he had projected himself into various rooms of his prison ever since he realized that he could leave his body but he had never traveled so far or tried to interact with the real world.

The moment he had managed to get here, he had been overwhelmed by everything. The house, the smells, the dust lingering on expensive antiquities, his mom sitting in a chair like a doll, unmoving and unflinching, his siblings- 

_ His siblings. _

They were all here. Ben had once told him that Five vanished a year after Klaus had been kidnapped. He had left the breakfast table and ran out of the house never to return home. But here he was. He looked older but it was still Five. And the rest of them … they were all here. 

He watched Diego jump off his seat, ready to pounce on Luther just like Klaus remembered his brother to act. His heart was aching at the sight. 

_ »Oh, so you guys loved him now, did you? Then why did none of you ever search for him? Why did none of you ever try to find out more about what happened to him? I-Instead Allison fucking ditched us all for Hollywood, you kept licking Dad’s boots and Vanya wrote a fucking tell-all book where she described Klaus as crazy and said that he had probably been killed and ditched somewhere! S-So d-don't tell me you loved him! H-He was my best friend! What do you expect m-me t-to d-do?« _

There was the table Ben had told him about. That Ouija board table. It was big and ugly and he hated it but he felt drawn towards it as his brothers shouted at each other. He knew that they would rip each other apart if Klaus would not intervene now. He tried reaching out to Diego but his hand went straight through him. 

»Focus.« He told himself. This was a now or never situation. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and as he concentrated on his surroundings in the room, he could feel the anger radiating from Diego, he could feel the overwhelming sadness. He could feed off of these emotions and so he crouched down in front of the table and tried to grab the planchette. It went right through his fingertips. So, instead, he focused on it. He was good in controlling his telekinesis but doing it without his body seemed impossible and yet he managed to move the planchette.

Vanya let out a sharp gasp and pointed with a shaking finger to the planchette which Klaus had successfully moved over to the word “Hello”. He could almost feel a tingle run through his right hand at that. Maybe the Doc had been onto something as he had forced those tattoos onto Klaus. Diego whirled around and suddenly all the attention in the room rested on the table. 

In a matter of seconds, after the initial surprise and silence gave way to confusion, a heated discussion between his siblings broke out and he shouldn't have expected anything less. He knew them, after all. And, even after all this time, he was sure that some things just wouldn't change so drastically. 

_ »There must be a reasonable explanation.« _Five ended their discussion as he tried to approach the situation with logic. He had always been like this and Klaus found comfort in knowing that he was still like this. Still, he didn't have much time and all of this was draining. He focused on the planchette again to move it. This time, he lifted the thing up and slammed it back down on the word “Hello”, hoping that his siblings would finally stop arguing and focus on the board.

»Come on you guys!« 

_ »What the actual fuck?« _ Diego blurted out as Klaus focused all his energy on doing the exact same thing again. _ »Okay! Okay! Hello! What the fuck?« _

_ »What are you doing?« _

Why, after so many years, did his brothers still felt the need to start arguing with one another at any given moment? Couldn't they see that now was not the time? He felt dizzy. He shouldn’t be able to feel dizzy in this astral form. There was no brain that could get dizzy. What if he would lose himself in this sphere and never be able to return to his body? This was neither the world of the living nor the world of the dead. This was limbo. This was the inbetween. This was the grey. This was the nothing. He was like fog on a stormy morning lingering over the grass of a meadow ready to be ripped apart. He was losing himself. He was losing his mind.

»Focus, Number Four!« 

_ »So what do we do?« _

_ »I don't know! Ask questions? That's what Klaus used to do.« _ Vanya! Sweet Vanya! Finally someone with common sense! Bless her. At least one of them tried to keep a level head. Of course, it would be Vanya, always the perceptive Vanya, who would manage to help him out. She had always been kept in the background - never part of the team, never quite part of the family even. Yet, her unique outsider perspective had allowed his sister to see her siblings as they truly were and find faults in their behavior or unique little ticks that they would otherwise have been blind to.

_ »Okay … Okay … Are you a ghost?« _It was really no surprise that his sisters were the only ones in the room able to focus on what was important. After the question escaped out of Allison’s mouth, Klaus managed to move the planchette to the word “No”. 

_ »It works!« _ Allison gasped before taking over completely as their brothers were locked into stunned silence and complete shock. Maybe, in another life, Klaus would have made fun of the way Luther’s mouth hung open. Now, however, he was afraid. He was so afraid. What if this was only one more of his weird dreams? What if this place was not real? He knew only the world in his little white room. A world filled with snow. A world where he was completely alone in his little white igloo in the middle of the antarctic desert at the foot of the mountains of madness. _ »Who are you?« _

Finally, an important question! Finally, someone who had the mind to ask who they were talking to!

He hesitated for an instant. He didn't have much power left and not much time either. He could feel how his body was pulling him back. He had never stayed so long out of the confinements of his body’s prison. Instead of spelling out his name, he chose his number that he hated so dearly and proved comfort now in this situation. His siblings took a collective gasp in response. It was, however, Diego, who breathed out his name. Poor thing. 

_ »Klaus?« _ And Klaus quickly moved the planchette over to the word “Yes”. Poor Diego, he looked ready to collapse before sitting down on the sofa again. He looked exhausted. 

»Come on, Diego, pull yourself together! I don't have time for your mental breakdown now come on, focus, Dee! I need you, big brother!« 

_ »What- Where- How?« _ Luther stuttered out and Klaus couldn't help but roll his eyes. 

»One question at a time, big guy.« 

_ »Where are you?« _ Five took over and, as soon as Klaus started moving the planchette again, Luther started reading out the letters like a preschooler. Vaguely, Klaus remembered how they had learned how to read and how both Luther and Diego had stuttered their way through the words. 

_ »Blackwood? What is that? Where is that?« _

He was startled as Ben suddenly appeared by his side. This should not be possible, he briefly thought. This was not the place for Ben. Or was it? There were so many things he did not yet understand. So many things left undiscovered and unexplored because he was too afraid to take another step forward. His face war alarmed and Klaus knew that his time was up. 

»Jenkins is coming to check on you!« Ben informed him and as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone again. He couldn't just leave it like this though. He needed to tell his siblings that he was gone, right?

So, with the last bit of his energy he did. 

_ »Someone is coming.« _ Vanya mumbled and then, Klaus closed the communication as quickly as he had opened it as he pushed the planchette over to the word “Goodbye” before he was sucked back into his body. 

It all happened so quickly that Klaus felt like he was choking on his own soul the moment it was back in his body. He started coughing so heavily he was sure that he would pass out. He didn't have time to sort himself out before the door was flung open, though. In walked one of Blackwood's assistants, a young man with an eyepatch over his right eyes. Barely Klaus had time to notice that his restraints were broken and hung lifelessly from the bed frame.

It often filled Klaus with pride to see that. He had been the one who had injured the man, after all.

»What did you do?« Jenkins addressed him without wasting another second. Klaus couldn't help but noticed the taser in his hand though. Ever since Klaus had attacked him, he was afraid that this would happen again whenever Klaus was not tied to his bed. »You levitated off your bed! What did you do?« 

»I did?« He directed his question at Ben and his brother nodded.

»You did! And the house was vibrating! Don't fuck with me, Number Four! I know what happens when you use the full extent of your powers. You did something! You astral projected, didn't you? Where did you go? Dr. Blackwood forbid you to try this when he is not around to monitor you!« Jenkins would be not a particularly frightening person outside in the real world by any means. He was short and slight in build. There was nothing special about him except for that crazed look in his eyes that he sometimes got. It was that crazed look that made Klaus attack him once. 

»No, I didn't-« 

»You tore your restraints!« 

»No, I didn't!-«

Before he knew what was happening, Jenkins had bridged the distance between them. His heart was racing in his chest in a sudden surge of panic. It was pure instinct that made him try to crawl back on his bed to get more distance between them. However, before he could move his sluggish body, electricity was shooting through him and his whole world turned black. 

**-End of Chapter 3-**


	4. Chapter 4

Blackwood. Eighteen years and all they got was that name. Blackwood. 

That could literally mean anything as Five was so keen to remind them. »I mean “Blackwood”? In the U.S. alone there are thousands of people with that surname, right? Or did he mean a place? There are at least two cities with that name and probably a couple of hundred other places around the world! It could also be a company! We don't have any clue what the fuck he wanted to tell us with that! It's like looking for a needle in a haystack and, by God, do we not have time for that right now!« 

Diego had been silent for the most part since their conversation with Klaus had broken off. He had still no idea what had happened there and if this had really been his brother making contact with them in some form. Was that even possible, to begin with? He wanted desperately to believe that this was Klaus who had talked to them through the Ouija board that their father had furnished as a table in memory of his lost son. His heart wanted nothing more than to believe in this miracle. And yet, every time in the past eighteen years that there had ever been a shred of hope, that hope had soon been crushed under the boots of other people again and again. 

The rest of his siblings didn't know every detail from all those years ago. Reginald hadn't wanted to burden them with the knowledge of what was going on in the search for Klaus. So, it had only been Dad, Pogo, Luther, and Diego. He hardly remembered how many times the police had called to tell them about some new lead in the case only for it to trickle away in the sand again and again. The worst that had happened was maybe the few calls they had gotten in the middle of the night that had their father leave the house and drive to the morgue to identify the body of a dead boy. It happened three times, as far as he remembered it - and as far as Reginald had told them. Back then he had been terrified every single time. He had been terrified that their father would go there and come back with the news that their brother had been killed and dumped somewhere. His dreams had been filled with the horrifying images of his brother’s mutilated body lying somewhere in a ditch. Police school had not helped in this regard later in life and every time he had been called to a scene where the dead body of a child had been found, Diego had been at the verge of a panic attack. 

The only thing in those eighteen years even worse than those calls from the police had been the calls from people posing as Klaus’ kidnappers. Even years later they had called the house, demanding money that they would never get. He remembered the first call vividly. He remembered freaking out at his father as Reginald had told the person on the phone where they could stick it. Of course, he had not said anything as vulgar as this but in essence that had been the message. And Diego … Well, he had demanded his father to try contacting that person again and pay them whatever they wanted. He had been certain that his father had just signed his brother’s death sentence. 

In short, Diego knew by heart that he couldn't deal with that again. Having hope was like being punched in the guts over and over again. And, at the same time, he couldn't ignore it as long as there was the chance, no matter how slim, that Klaus was still out there.

In fact, his obsession with his brother’s kidnapping was what had ended his relationship with the only woman he had ever truly loved. At one point, Eudora just had had enough and he couldn't blame her either. Too many times had Diego ignored her, enthralled in his excessive research, going after new leads in his rare free time only to be crushed again and again, getting frustrated with all of this and with her for not being understanding enough. He had driven her out of this relationship and then she had left the city. The last thing he had heard of her from his colleagues was that she had married some bloke down south. 

»Dad’s research.« Diego spoke up at last after his siblings had probably already forgotten that he was still here. He had not moved for at least ten minutes, sitting hunched over with his head down and one hand in the back of his neck. Now, however, he sat up straight again and dragged the same hand down his face. He was a detective, an investigator. This was his job. Now was not the time to break down and cry like a little baby. Now was not the time for fear. Even if his hope might get destroyed again soon … He owed it to his brother to try and pull himself together at least.

»When they took Klaus, they just wanted Dad’s research. They didn't even know that Klaus was in the house. Remember the camera footage?« He turned to Luther who was the only one other than Diego, Pogo and their father who had actually seen the footage. Number One seemed a bit surprised that Diego turned to him without hostility in his voice for once. He quickly recovered from the shock and nodded. 

»Klaus had been asleep in the living room that day. He had been practicing with the Ouija board before falling asleep. And when they broke in they went straight to dad’s office without looking around. They knew that we wouldn't be here because we were on this stupid trip every year on the exact same day, one day after our birthday. They knew this. They probably watched us for quite some time to know this - years, perhaps. They even knew where to find dad’s office. This house is a maze for outsiders and there are no floor plans. So, in other words, at least one of them had been to the house before.« 

He paused to let his explanations sink in as he grew more and more aware that he had his siblings’ full and undivided attention. Little Diego would have started stuttering now. And although he was still plagued by that same stutter sometimes, he had grown out of it for the most part.

»But they didn't know that Klaus would be home. He was the variable in their plan. That means, if they watched the front entry that day, they’ve been watching us from a point where the limousine blocked their view of the door. They didn't realize that only six of us left. Only when Klaus went to check on the noise upstairs were they alerted to his presence. Of course, they wore masks and Klaus couldn't see their faces. They could have just left him there. Knocking him unconscious was a safety percussion for them - perhaps in the heat of the moment, they didn't know which one of us five boys he was and just acted out of instinct before he could hurt them first. Back then, we had had our first missions already but we hadn't been dragged into the limelight too much yet. It’s very possible they didn't recognize who he was right away.«

»To them, we probably looked all the same anyway.« Five scoffed suddenly with a sour glance at one of the many group portraits on the walls. »I mean, we dressed the same, four of us boys had dark hair, and we all had the same haircut.« 

Luther rolled his eyes and looked as if he wanted to defend their father’s choice in this regard but then he didn't. Even Luther had to agree with FIve there. 

»They took dad’s research about us and what led to our births for the most part - that is at least what I assume. And since they took Klaus _ and _the research, I think that is a very safe bet. Whoever took Klaus, wanted to know more about us children.«

His siblings stared at him with bewilderment written clearly across all their faces. Even Five seemed flabbergasted for a moment and Diego waved them off as he rose from his spot on the sofa and cleared his throat. »I am a detective.« He explained with a shrug. »I know how to read crime scenes and interpret the evidence. Plus, I spent most my life trying to figure this shit out.« 

»So … What now?« Vanya asked quietly. Diego and she had never been close. In fact, they had not gotten along at all and Diego had not gotten off well in her book too. There had been a time when he had been angry at her because of this but now … Well, perhaps he was still angry. She had described him as a complete asshole, an abusive brother who would rather scare her into submission than actually listen to her, an obsessive freak, traumatized by the loss of three brothers and broken by his own competitive nature and the inferiority complex that their father had instilled in him from birth. In her brown eyes, however, Diego could see that she truly wanted to figure this out now. »What do we do with this information and this name Klaus gave us?«

»Easy.« Five concluded. »We go through Dad’s journals. Perhaps we find a connection to the name Blackwood there - Even though, I can not stretch enough that this should be the least of our problems right now. I mean, even if we find Klaus, the world is still going up in flames, but hey, at least we are together again, right?«

»So what are you saying?« This time, it was Luther who seemed to have Diego's back on this, oddly enough. In fact, he took position right behind him. »Do you want us to … what? Try to figure out what you couldn't figure out in over forty years in just a few short weeks now while our brother is out there and possibly suffering? What if we can't save the world, Five? We owe it to Klaus to at least try to save him.« 

They had had a fight. Luther and Klaus. He remembered the fight that Luther had had with Klaus right on that morning of their trip. They had yelled at each other before breakfast. Klaus had begged his brother to ask Dad to allow him to come with them for their trip but Luther had refused. He had played his part as Dad’s right hand perfectly that morning, had put Klaus in his place with crude comments about his behavior and not looked at him afterward. Luther had never gotten to say goodbye to Klaus. None of them had had the chance. But at least the rest of them had not parted ways with Klaus in anger, right? Luther had never shown it or said anything but Diego had learned to read people and he could tell that Klaus’ disappearance had gnawed on Luther the same way it had gnawed at Diego. Because they were Number One and Two. They were the _ oldest_. They were the big brothers. They had failed to protect their little brother. In fact, they had failed to protect all three of their little brothers. 

Five just produced a frustrated groan. Diego could tell that he wanted to throw some form of insult at them for daring to even consider the fact that Five had been unable to figure this shit out - or insinuating that he might be unable to figure this shit out in the future. After all, the only thing that their brother had was a glass eyeball, right? He kept showing this disgusting thing to them at every chance he would get. When they were seven, Five had found a snail in the yard, put it in a Tupperware container from the kitchen and kept showing the snail to his disgusted siblings. Some things never changed. 

»Okay, do what you’ve gotta do.« Five gave a sigh. »I go grab some coffee.« None of them had missed the way their brother would end conversations in just blinking out of existence but even after they hadn't seen him for so long, they had become numb to it. Five had always been headstrong. He had never listened to any of them as he deemed them all unworthy of his time. Vanya and Ben were really the only ones he had willingly spent time with while growing up.

»Good to see that he hasn't changed.« Allison huffed.

»True.« Diego agreed. »He is still a little bitch.« 

Going through his father's journals was a tedious affair. With Pogo’s help, the siblings had gathered every single one of his father journals and diaries in the parlor downstairs. Each sibling had one stack of journals to go through after they all gathered around the Ouija board table - and yet, they had little hope to actually find out something after even Pogo had claimed that he had never heard Reginald mention the name Blackwood. Maybe Five was right, Diego thought after he put his fifth journal aside with a yawn. Maybe this was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Maybe they really should focus on the apocalypse instead. 

Their father had been meticulous in updating his journals and his scientific research in them. There were whole volumes dedicated to their sleep rhythms, for example, and many more journals long before they had been born. Decades of research and studies. a ton of documents to sift through. It was looking grim. Really grim but Diego was one stubborn son of a bitch. How many restless nights had he spent in front of the library computer or hunched over books and newspapers in his search for his brother? Why would he give up now when he finally got a new clue?

»Blackwood!« Allison exclaimed suddenly and pulled all of them out of their lethargy. Hours had passed since they first sat down together like this. By now, the night hung low over the academy. »Blackwood!« She repeated excitedly. »Here! It's right here!«

»What?« Luther asked but Diego was already on his feet and rushed over to her. He would have pulled the journal out of her hands if Allison wouldn't have glared at him. 

»Here.« She repeated calmer, her voice soft as she placed the journal on the coffee table and tapped her index finger against the page. »It's his journal from ‘79. Robert Blackwood. A thirty-year-old scientist. Dad and he worked together on something. They were researching all kinds of paranormal shit, apparently.«

»And then?« Luther inquired with furrowed brows as he leaned down as much as he could to read the text himself.

»I don't know.« Allison sighed but grabbed two more journals, giving them to Vanya and Diego. »Here. Read.« 

※※※※※※※

As he woke up next, he was no longer in his little white room. The walls surrounding him were grey. Concrete grey. Lifeless. Motionless. Hopeless grey. The ground too was nothing but grey and cold and unfriendly. There was a mattress on the ground and he lay on top of it. He felt dizzy and woozy as he slowly blinked against the light. He had no strength left inside of him, couldn't even move his arms. He was not restrained for once but he couldn't move a muscle now. Maybe he was paralyzed. He probably was paralyzed. The old man had cut his nerves or something. Yes … Yes, that sounded just like him.

»They drugged you.« Ben’s voice was muffled and as he tried to find him, he saw his form flickering in the corner. Ben was barely there and this thought frightened him beyond belief. If Ben wouldn't be with him anymore … What then? No, no he needed Ben! He needed Ben! »Don't freak out. It's okay. I’m still here.« 

He was losing time with every blink of his eyes now. Hours seem to pass while he closed and opened his eyes. The light stayed on the entire time, just as it had in his little white room. There were no windows, except for the little window in the steel door that led outside of his cell. Even still, Klaus didn't have the strength left inside of his body to get to his feet and have a peek outside. He didn't know where he was and why he was now in a different place. The last thing he remembered was that Jenkins came into his room and then it all went black.

He was terrified. At least it was not dark. At least this was not the mausoleum. At least here the ghosts couldn't scream at him and tear at his flesh. They were only lurking at the edges of his cell now. He heard them crying and mumbling. The mumbling was the worst about it. Always the mumbling.

»Number Four.« The voice was rough and cold and he had last heard it eighteen years ago. That was what his rational mind told him. That was the information he had from Ben. To him, however, it was as if he had last heard this voice yesterday. »Pull yourself together.«

»Dad…« He slurred and forced his eyes open again. It seemed to take ages until he noticed the figure standing beside the mattress. But there he was standing in all his glory, just like Klaus remembered him to look in a perfectly tailored grey suit, his hands clasped behind his back and his monocle glistening in the neon light. »What are you doing here? I thought you were dead…« He felt heat prickling in his eyes and his throat going tight. His dad was here. Finally. Finally, his dad had found him and he would save him!

»You are much stronger than your captors, Number Four.« His father droned on as Klaus was already reaching out for him. »You could easily get rid of them and free yourself. They showed you how. I must say, I am disappointed that Blackwood managed to unlock your true potential while I could not even bring you to scratch the surface of it. You were too weak and too afraid back then. But Blackwood, that fool, showed you how strong you truly are, my Son. You can smite him with this power, you just need to get over your fears.«

»Dad« He mumbled again. »Daddy, please … Help me out of here. I want to go home. I’m sorry for misbehaving. I promise I’ll be better, Dad.«

»You need to listen to me now, Number Four.« His father continued as if he had not even heard him. »It is of the utmost importance that you listen to me, _ Klaus_. You need to free yourself from Blackwood’s prison and find your siblings. You-«

His dad disappeared like smoke in the wind as the metal door was opened with a loud screeching noise. »No!« Klaus immediately yelled out. »No, please, Dad!« But his father was gone and he was alone again with that buzzing inside of his head and Blackwood walking in. By now he was so dizzy that he couldn't even bring himself to look up at the man. He stared at his shoes instead as his breathing came ragged and labored.

»You seem upset, Number Four.« Blackwood said with this emotionless voice of his. There had been a time when he had been certain that his father had given him to Blackwood freely. He had hated his old man for it and now he wanted nothing more than to have his father here to help him. »Maybe we should increase the dosage.«

※※※※※※※

By becoming a proper cop, a _ real _detective and stepping away from his vigilante days, Diego had learned that you dress to impress and that it is sometimes necessary to forgo your personal choice of clothing for a nicely fitted black jacket and a button-down shirt. With his badge attached to his belt, he felt almost safe as if nothing bad could possibly happen as long as he had the badge. The level of security he felt with the badge was, of course, a false one as was proven by the amounts of cops shot on duty every year.

As he drove up to the mansion in the countryside, however, he felt like he was hiding behind a shield with the badge at his belt while the tires of his car were driving over the gravel driveway and finally came to a halt in front of the ancient house.

»You know the plan?« Diego glanced in his rearview mirror where his brother was hiding out of sight and only gave a slight nod. »We are here to gather information, nothing else, don't forget that.« 

»You don't need to tell me that. I am a professional.« Five growled before he blinked out of the back of the car in a flash of blue before Diego straightened his back and got out of the car himself. 

The old manor house he had arrived at was a daunting place. Blackwood Manor looked down on him out of empty black eyes. Just standing there in front of the building, he could feel the weight of the centuries resting upon the ancient stone. Blackwood Manor was one of the oldest mansions ever built on American soil of that magnitude and had been in possession of the Blackwoods for just as long. 

_ “I know not how it was - but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit.” _ The words came to him with ease as he stood there and contemplated the building which very stone facade seemed blackened by the centuries and the pollution in the air. The Blackwoods had made their fortune with oil and later, during the industrialization, with cheap labor and a meat processing company that had been rumored to use child labor up to the point where children would be forced to climb up into the chimneys to clean them and be evaporated by the steams. Diego had never been a man of great interest in the classic literature but growing up in a house as theirs it seemed inevitable to read at least a handful of stories of the great Edgar Allan Poe and ‘the Fall of the House Usher’ had always been one of his and Klaus’ favorites. Now he thought that he could almost understand what the narrator of that story must have felt while arriving at his childhood friend's residence. 

_ Focus_, he urged himself as he tried to calm his wavering nerves and finally stepped forward. Now was not the time to allow himself such dark thoughts. He walked up a handful of stone steps to the grant front door and tried not to be intimidated by the stone gargoyles watching him as he did just that. Another deep breath and finally he grabbed the old knocker and rapped it in quick succession against the wood. The sound seemed to echo through the entire mansion. He didn't need to wait long until he could hear footfalls from beyond the door before it got opened by an elderly man in a neat black suit. The butler, he thought right away and put on his most pleasant smile. Eudora had once said that he didn't have a pleasant smile - at least not while working. He looked constipated when he tried to look friendly - according to her at least. 

»Yes?« The old man addressed him with just as much hostility and caution as Diego would have expected at such a place.

»I’m Detective Diego Hargreeves and I am here to see Professor Robert Blackwood.« 

»Is this a police matter, Sir?«

»No.« Diego quickly replied with a smile. »No, it's a … uhm … private matter. I believe he knew my father a long time ago. Sir Reginald Hargreeves. He died recently and we … uhm, my siblings and I hoped Mr. Blackwood would be able to help us with a few questions.« 

The butler nodded and allowed him inside the marble reception hall with one quick glance at Diego's badge. »Allow me to fetch Mr. Blackwood. If you would take a seat in the parlor for a few minutes.« He pointed to where a white stone archway opened into another room to Diego’s left and so he nodded quickly and followed the direction. The parlor was not as grand as theirs and it seemed much darker, the furniture and the colors much heavier. He felt as if he was suffocating under all of this. 

Very reluctantly, Diego sat down on one of the luscious armchairs near a window and waited, hoping that Five would keep his end of the bargain and not risk their mission right away. They had agreed that Diego would only take Five even though Luther had wanted to come with him as well but in the end, it had seemed that Diego with his cop-front would achieve more alone. Five, on the other hand, was supposed to jump through the house and see if he would be able to find out something about their brother. This might as well be a dead-end, they could be completely wrong and yet it was the only lead they had and they couldn't just ignore it. 

Five had only agreed to it so that he would be allowed then to go back to his own apocalypse research in peace. So, Diego better made this one count, otherwise, he didn't know if he would be able to get Five to help them again later. Their long lost brother had made it pretty clear that Klaus was not his first priority now that he was back. And, of course, in a way he was right. Diego understood his reasoning. If they would find Klaus but then the world would go to shit they wouldn't have won anything but if they would be able to save the world and then find Klaus, things would look a bit differently, right? They should be reasonable about this but Diego had a hard time putting his personal quest aside when he had been obsessing over Klaus’ disappearing for eighteen years and had never been even remotely close to solving this riddle until now. 

He watched how the grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticked the minutes away - ten minutes, in fact, until he heard footfalls coming from the hall again. In strode a man in his late sixties or early seventies. He looked about the same age as Reginald had before his death even though that was not an ideal indicator as their father seemed to have been ancient before his death. 

Blackwood was clad in an expensive-looking pinstripe suit, his slightly protruding stomach indicating the wealthy lifestyle he was living where he didn't need to forgo extensive meals and he held himself in the way any respectable gentleman his age would - unconcerned with his increased weight. He was wearing thick glasses but Diego wasn't sure if he really needed them and, just like his late father, he was carrying around a pocket watch on a golden chain in a pocket of his suit jacket. Unlike his father, Robert was balding quite badly but was too proud to shave his head completely. 

»Mr. Hargreeves!« Robert greeted him. His face was seemingly open and friendly but Diego could tell that Blackwood, behind that facade, was very much reserved towards him. »Detective Hargreeves, I believe?«

»Diego.« Diego replied calmly as he rose to his feet and went over to the old man to shake his hand. »I’m sorry for showing up unannounced like this, Professor, I’m sure you had important things to do. You are probably conducting tons of important research these days. So, I don't want to borrow too much of your time.« 

»Oh, don't worry about that, young man. I’m afraid my days as an active researcher and scientist are over. These days I spend my days reading for the most part and enjoying my retirement.« He replied as he shook Diego’s hand and then took a seat with him near the fireplace on two twin leather armchairs that looked remarkably alike to the ones at their own house. »So, I must say that I was surprised to hear that the son of my old partner wanted to see me. I haven't heard of Reginald in decades, actually. Although I heard the news of his death, of course. What brings you here today?« 

»Well« They had handcrafted these lies and although Allison was the actress of their bunch, Diego was confident in his ability to lie that old creep in the face without blushing. »My siblings and I went through Dad’s stuff after his funeral and we happened upon his old journals. He spoke about you quite fondly in them and my siblings and I wondered what you were working on back in those days and why you broke off that partnership. We were surprised that our father was involved with a scientist so shortly before our births because Dad never talked about you. Then again, you knew him … he was a secretive guy and we … I don't know … Coming here might have been stupid. It's just that we try to … to understand our old man better. He was never open to us, treated us more like robots or soldiers than actual children and we … now that we can't ask him anymore we thought that you might have answers.« 

Blackwood let out an understanding hum and Diego was kinda surprised that this man seemed to play along for now. He didn't know much about Blackwood, only that he was known in his field to do quite questionable experiments - mostly on animals. And he knew that Robert and his father had worked on what would become the serum that made Pogo the way he was now. 

»Your father has always had his secrets.« He agreed. »But I understand how you feel. When Reginald and I met, I had just turned thirty and we shared a mutual interest in biology and neuroscience - amongst other things.« _ And the occult_, his mind helpfully provided. »We were working with chimpanzees back in the day but we broke off this partnership in ‘89 shortly before the day you children were born.«

»Why?«

»We had a disagreement.« Robert sighed. »Well, I am not going to lie to you about this. Reginald and I were researching occult and paranormal occurrences across the world and we figured out a pattern. With the help of that pattern, we discerned that we were bound to see something major to occur in our lifetime and could pinpoint it almost to the exact date in ‘89. With the help of our research and this pattern, we decided that there was a very real possibility that a number of unnatural births would occur that year.«

»And how did you come to this conclusion?«

»The pattern.« Robert repeated. »Throughout the course of history, that same pattern emerged again and again, mostly relatively shortly before some major event changed the course of the world. I’m talking the plague-level major. One thing stood out to us during our research and that was that shortly before such an event - mostly a few years, a decade at the most - children would be born under unnatural and unexplainable circumstances. It happened before the plague settled over Europe and before the Spanish inquisition ravaged a whole continent. It happened before the plagues in Egypt and before the first World War, to name just a few. There are not many records of those children that shouldn't have been born because most of them didn't survive their births or had been smothered by their mother's out of fear. The children that did survive and were documented, however, showed exceptional talents.«

»So … You're telling me that you saw that pattern emerge in ‘89 again and you figured that this same kind of freak birth would happen again. And then what?« 

»Reginald and I talked a lot about how fascinating it would be to get our hands on children that were born as a result of that pattern. Reginald was obsessed by the idea to collect those children for his research and the more and more invested he got in the idea, the more I became wary of it. I knew that Reginald wouldn't shy away from using force where money wouldn't suffice to get his hands on as many of those children as he could. I, however, decided that it would be immoral to rip those children away from their mothers just for scientific purposes. And, in addition to that, I was afraid what this action could do to any child of that nature in the long run. 

You see, it was our theory that those children were special in their abilities, each and everyone with the potential of a nuclear bomb, so to say. And I worried what just one child in the wrong hands might be able to do then. In my hypothesis, every single one of those children had the potential to end the world. What we saw while researching the pattern was that those surviving children seemed to grow exponentially stronger with each generation, so to say. I couldn't fathom the sheer amount of power that would be ingrained in this new era of superhuman children. So, I begged him to let go of his plan but Reginald instead decided to cut ties. Not long after that, the news broke all across the globe that 43 children had been born under mysterious circumstances and that Reginald managed to adopt seven of them.« 

Diego didn't quite know how to feel as he drove off the property half an hour after he had arrived there at first. The information wasn’t new. They had read all about it in their father’s journals. They had seen the diagrams and the timetables and the evidence of what Robert had explained to them. However, much of the research of their father had been lost, as it had seemed and they could only assume that this was the research that had been stolen back then. He didn't know how much to believe of what Robert told him though. He had painted Reginald quite vividly as the bad guy in the equation and Diego felt as if he was sitting between two chairs at this point. Had his father been the bad guy? How much of what Robert said could he believe?

He paused his car right outside the gates and waited for a couple of seconds until a flash of blue brightened up the inside of his car for a flash second as his brother appeared in the passenger’s seat. »Nothing.« Five had never been one to waste any time and so he shouldn't be surprised that his brother wouldn't waste just a second now. 

»What?« 

»I said “nothing”. There is nothing.« Five shrugged. »I mean, yes, he has a laboratory in the basement that looks kinda shady but there was no hint of Klaus ever being there.« 

»That can't be.« Diego turned in is seat to fully look at his brother by his side. Having Five back with them was still weird - especially this grown-up version of his brother. Still, every time he would really look at Five, he could see traces of the boy he had once known. »The guy is shady as hell! He has to be involved in all of this shit!« 

»He might be - I’m not saying that he isn't, Diego. I’m just telling you that there was nothing that hints at Klaus anywhere in this house.« Five scoffed with a small roll of his eyes. »Granted, thirty minutes are not a lot of time and I couldn't turn everything on its head either but from what I’ve gathered he has quit his experiments and research a long time ago. The lab looked as if it hadn't been used in at least a decade now. Other than this, he had much of the same shit that Dad has lying around the house. It's a dead-end, Diego.«

»But-«

»Listen, I want to find Klaus as much as the next guy but we are not going to find him anytime soon. Who knows if this really was Klaus? Maybe it was some asshole Poltergeist or something! All we had was this lead to Blackwood and there is nothing there. I agree with you that he is shady but so was Dad, right?«

»What now?« He tried to sound not as defeated as he really felt but Five could read him like an open book.

»Now we are focussing on stopping the apocalypse.« Five decided as he pulled that nasty glass eye out of his suit jacket again to study it. »There is a serial number on the back of it and the name of the company that produced it. Meritech. I will go there and see what I can find out about the owner of the eye. And then we will be one step closer to stopping this thing from ever happening in the first place.«

**-End of Chapter 4-**


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop-Woop double upload this week!

The sobbing of a child echoed through the cell. It was a broken, little sound. A phantom, small and vulnerable, cowering in the darkest corner of the white cell and pressing their face against the wall. Their whole body was shaken by their violent little sobs. It was freezing cold inside the cell. He could feel the fingers of phantoms brush over his skin and through his curly hair. The worst was the sobbing and the crying though.

_ My sister jumped and I followed her. I couldn't be without her. She was so afraid to be alone. How could I have left her alone? Where is she? _

_ Mommy didn't come back home. The bad men took her and she never came home. I am so hungry. _

_ When the fire broke out, I was asleep in the living room. I didn't hear them scream. The smoke got to me before the flames. My children, though … they were eaten alive. _

_ She left me and then I jumped. Why did I jump? _

_ I didn't see the knife. It was too late when I did. Daddy warned me. I should've listened. _

He pressed his hands to his ears just like the little phantom in the corner but he couldn't drown out the crying and the sobbing. Even as he pressed his eyes shut, he couldn't keep their faces out or their anguish. They filled him up with all their emotions and he was powerless against it.

»Diego!« Then phantom sobbed. »Benny!« But they never came. He had misbehaved and now they would never come. The old man said that his siblings were glad that he was gone. The old man said that his father didn't even search for him. He had already replaced him. He knew that he would never go home. He knew that he would never see his siblings again.

He would never play dress-up with Allison again whenever their father wouldn't be home to reprimand him for playing with girl-stuff. He would never listen to Vanya practice the violin again. He would never climb the tree in the yard again with Luther's help. He would never listen to Five rambling on about science again. He would never read comics with Benny again. He would never joke and play with Diego again. 

His siblings had forgotten him and he was all alone with the ghosts and the phantoms and they were grabbing him, leaving marks on his pale mottled skin. They would tear him apart while the old man would watch through the window. 

※※※※※※※

»I can't believe that!« Five exclaimed as he flopped down on the sofa in the parlor with a frustrated grunt. »This idiot at Meritech said that the eye has not even been produced yet! It's a dead-end! I carried this fucking thing around for over forty years and it's a dead-end!« 

Outside the world was currently turning to shit. It was raining cats and dogs in front of their windows as the siblings gathered in the parlor. They were all here - except Vanya. She had gone to her rehearsals and she had her own place, after all. In the past years, since they all left this house, Diego had never bothered with thinking too much about his sister - especially not after Vanya had published this awful book about them. However, in the light of those new discoveries, he couldn't help but hope that she was doing okay and didn't feel too left out right now. He would admit that perhaps he had been a little mean to her at times. Well, she had hurt him with her book and he had lashed out. 

However, knowing that the world was going to go to shit in just a few weeks, had the effect on Diego that he wanted to make sure that all his siblings were safe and alright and nearby. He had even entertained the idea of picking her up after her rehearsals, but since he didn't know when those would be over, he had refrained from doing so. Plus … perhaps Vanya wanted to be left alone for a bit now. Not that he would usually care all that much. 

»How is that even possible?« Luther replied with a frown. They had all gathered in the parlor again a little while ago, their father’s research and journals still littering the ground and every available surface as they were trying to figure out more about the situation.

Needless to say, they had freaked out just a bit after Diego had told them the whole thing about the pattern and their individual world-ending potential. In Allison and Five’s case, it was easy to see how their powers could affect the end of the world but Luther and he? How were they supposed to do such a thing? Would Luther just turn bigger and bigger until one stomp of his foot would be enough to cause a massive earthquake that would destroy power plants or something? And what about him? Would he throw his knife at the wrong person and thus spark atom bombs to be set off? It seemed all like bullshit to him now.

»Easy. Whoever is going to wear this eye has not yet either lost their eye or they have not commissioned a new one yet.«

»And what are you going to do about this now?« Allison inquired as she took a sip of her drink.

»I can only watch this idiot, Lance, and see what shady business he does outside of Meritech.« Five sighed and leaned his head back into the cushioned backrest. »I could swear that he does some side business with those prosthetics. They are quite valuable on the black market, after all.« 

»You know, all this could go much quicker if you would rumor him, Allie.« Diego sighed and Allison gave him the stink-eye, just as predicted.

»I’m not doing that anymore.«

»Oh?« Now he was genuinely surprised. »Did you suddenly develop a conscience? I mean I remember that you never had qualms about it when we were children, right? How many times did you make Ben, Klaus and me do your homework or your chores?«

»We were nine years old.« Allison rolled her eyes. »Are you ever going to let this go?«

»Nope.« Diego grinned. »I’m a resentful bitch as you may or may not remember. I can only assume that you not using your powers anymore has something to do with your very ugly divorce a few months ago?« 

Allison was just about to say something as they heard the front door open and then fall shut again. Diego was the first to jump to his feet and as he glanced through the open sliding doors that led into the reception hall, he could see Vanya, drenched by the rain from head to toe. Apparently, and ironically, she hadn't had an umbrella. 

»Vanya!« Allison exclaimed and already rushed over to her sister, dropping the book that she had had in her lap to the ground subsequently. »Mom, could you bring us a few towels?« She called out before she had even reached Vanya - after all, Mom was always within earshot somewhere. When she did reach her sister, she helped her out of her jacket and rubbed her hands over Vanya's arms. »What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost!«

»I-I’m … I don't-«

»Let her come in first, Geez!« Diego sighed and took over from Allison as the sisters finally reached the parlor just to guide Vanya closer to the fireplace. She looked like a drenched cat. At least Mom had been quick and he could already hear her heels clicking on the marble tiles before she entered the room with the same flourish as usual.

»Oh, Darling!« She exclaimed as she rushed over to Vanya and wrapped her in a towel before she started patting down on her wet hair as well.

»I … I didn't know where else to go.« Vanya finally managed to get out through trembling lips from the cold.

»What do you mean?« Luther asked. »What's with your apartment?«

»I … No, that's stupid.«

»Tell us.« Five urged. Five and Vanya had always been close as children and Vanya had been heartbroken when he had vanished much in the same vein as Diego had been heartbroken when Klaus had been kidnapped. To this day, however, and after all those years, Five still seemed to provide a certain level of confidence for her.

»It's probably nothing but … When I left rehearsals today there was this guy. I couldn't really see his face, you know? But … He just stood on the other side of the street and watched me and I … I got creeped out. I think I’ve seen him before but I’m not … sure.« A breathy chuckle left her lips. »See? Now that I’m saying it out loud it sounds completely ridiculous! There was just some guy and I freaked out.«

»Always trust your gut instinct.« Diego replied seriously. »That's what we learned in the police academy. If your gut tells you that something's wrong, somethings probably wrong. You did the right thing coming here. Who knows who that guy was and if he would have followed you home.«

And, frankly, the thought that his sister might have a stalker was freaking him out. That was the last thing they needed in their already tense situation here. The worst about this was, however, that Vanya seemed not to have enough trust to come to her siblings right away when something weird was going on. He knew from experience that Vanya was exactly the type of woman who would attract some creep who wanted to do her harm. She was pretty in her own right but just normal enough looking that she would not draw too much attention. A girl who could perhaps be easily manipulated even. A girl with barely any ties to her remaining family. No one who would notice her disappearance. Thinking like this was creeping him out even more. 

»You’re paranoid.« Luther sighed.

»Am I? With everything that's going on right now?« 

»I think Diego's right.« Five unexpectedly sided with him at last. »It's better that you are here anyway and you should stay here, Vanya. We should stay close together if we want to nick that apocalypse shit in the butt.« 

There was a rare smile gracing Vanya's pale face and Diego felt guilt twisting around his heart like a fist. When was the last time he had seen his sister smile? When was the last time they had included her in anything? After Klaus had vanished, Diego became even crueler towards her and after Ben’s death, everything had fallen apart. They had been so cruel to each other. All of them. They had tried to rip each other to shreds because they had all been so hurt and in so much pain.

»So … What happened at Blackwood Manor?« Vanya finally diverted everyone's attention from her back to Diego's mission instead.

»Nothing.« Diego sighed. »I mean, the guy is shady and creepy as the crypt-keeper but … there was nothing. He told me a lot of the same stuff we found in Dad’s research and he told me a lot about the things that I can only assume have been in the lost research. Which only makes it more obvious to me that he has something to do with the break-in eighteen years ago. I can't prove it, though. They worked on the same project, after all. Him knowing all these details doesn't really have to mean anything in the long run. I can't shake the feeling that he has something to do with Klaus, though. He was interested in us - the 43 of us - just like dad. And he was pissy that he couldn't get his hands on at least one or two of our kind. So what if his men went here and didn't expect to find Klaus but they did run into him and took him because that creepy bastard had always wanted one of us?«

»Yeah, possible, but I should have found something then. Anything.« Five sighed. They had had this discussion already, Five and he - and Diego were still not quite done with it. How could anyone expect him to give up so easily, after all? 

»Well, perhaps he doesn't have Klaus at his home.« Vanya suggested. »It would be kinda stupid of him to keep him there, right? Surely, he has some secret lair where he keeps him - if he has him.« 

»Possible.« Luther frowned. »But how would we possibly be able to figure that out?«

»Plus, we have no time for this.« Five urged once more as he got up from his seat again to stride over to the bar. As if it was the most normal thing to do, he poured himself a stiff whiskey and leaned with his back against the firm wood of the counter. »We should be focussing on the end of the world, instead.« 

»You said it yourself, Five!« Diego groaned. »The eye is a dead end!« 

»For now!« 

»So … Hasn’t Blackwood told you that every single one of us 43 children had the potential of ending the world?« Luther suddenly chimed up and drew a small gasp from Vanya. She hadn’t been here for this conversation, after all. 

»Your point is?« Five shot back, already annoyed with Number One. Five had always perceived Luther as stupid and barely worth his time or energy. 

»My point is« Luther began again. »What if Blackwood has something to do with the end of the world? What if he will be responsible for Klaus ending the world? If it is true what he said, and if he has Klaus, he has the equivalent of a nuclear bomb in his possession.« 

※※※※※※※

His apartment was cold and dark when he entered it later that night. Outside the thunderstorm was still raging over the city, flooding streets and underpasses to the point where most sane people would not even think about leaving their houses anymore. Needless to say, he was drenched just from walking up to the front door of the apartment complex after leaving his car at the side of the road. He should have stayed at the academy like Vanya but being there … it felt wrong and oppressing and he couldn't handle it for too long at a time. 

In the mansion, he was constantly bombarded with echoes of the past and his childhood. The longer he would be there, the more he would realize that Klaus was not there and the more it would hurt. Here he was at last alone and the silence lay heavily over his small apartment. 

As he switched on the light inside the apartment he found it just as he had left it this morning. His leather jacket hung from a hook next to the door, his furniture was unassuming and plain. The punching bag in the corner of the main room almost begged Diego to come and train for a little while - to vent out his aggressions. It was tempting. Instead, he stripped right at the door until he was in his boxer shorts and slumped down on his old crappy couch. He didn't even possess a TV as he was home so rarely these days. 

Diego had always been a man throwing himself into his work - be it at the Umbrella Academy or his actual police work. He couldn't help himself. As soon as he would allow himself to wind down and relax, his mind would start racing again. It had been like this for the last eighteen years, providing him with quality horror imagery about his lost brother and what might have been done to him. Usually, Diego would work and train until he would pass out only to do it all over again the next day.

He was nowhere near passing out right now so he got back up from his couch and walked over to his fridge. It was empty except for a six-pack of beer. He was not even that much of a drinker but right now he needed it so he took one out and walked back to the couch, slumping down and uncapping the bottle. His eyes, however, immediately fell upon the wall in front of him - a mess of old photos, printed texts, cut out news articles and red string connecting points on a map that only made sense to Diego. 

Five would be proud of him and his wall of madness. It reminded Diego sometimes of how Five used to scribble equations all over his bedroom walls. Right now, he just wanted to tear it all down and start a new life somewhere warm and nice. Maybe go to Mexico and act as if he was not part of this messed-up family at all. 

Oh … Who was he kidding? As if he would ever be able to let this go. Klaus’ disappearance would forever haunt him. Even now, eighteen years later, Diego was unable to let it go as he emptied his beer bottle and allowed himself to sink into the sofa cushions.

_ »What if they come back?« Ben’s voice was paper-thin in the darkness of the room. _

_ It was rare that the strict routine inside the house would be broken. This was, after all, in essence not a house or a home. This was a school. And they were not really siblings either. This night, however, they were all sleeping in the living room. They had gathered mattresses and sleeping bags. The girls got to sleep on the comfortable sofas near the fire and the rest of them took the space on the ground. Outside the storm was still ravaging the city and upstairs the FBI was taking evidence and examining their father's office. _

_ Grace was the only one with them while strangers were filtering in and out of the house. It was weird to have strangers in the house. It didn't feel right. It felt like an intrusion of sorts. He didn't want them here. _

_ »What do you mean?« Five muttered. They were supposed to sleep but, of course, none of them could sleep. _

_ »What if the burglars come back and take anyone else? They took Klaus!« Ben replied as quietly as he could. They were, after all, not supposed to be awake right now. Ben was frightened - maybe the most frightened of all of them and he couldn't fault him for that. It was a scary situation, after all. It was terrifying. Those men had broken into their home and they had stolen their brother. _

_ As he stared into the semi-darkness of the room and tried to make out the shape of Ben in his sleeping bag not too far away from him, Diego thought that he would never forget what he had seen on those videotapes. Before his father had called the police, he had made sure to check the tapes himself with Diego and Luther and he knew that this would forever haunt him. _

_ His brother had been asleep right here in the living room until the noise upstairs had woken him up. He had walked upstairs unassuming and before he had even known what was happening, a man had come up from behind him and knocked him out cold with a crowbar. His baby brother had fallen to the ground like dead, his body limp and lifeless like a ragdoll, blood streaming over his face as one of the men had at last taken him and carried him out of the house. _

_ »Don't be stupid, Ben.« Luther huffed. »They won't.« _

_ »And what about Klaus?« Vanya quietly involved herself in the conversation. She had been silent until now while Allison had mostly just cried. Crying was her default reaction. »Will they … They will bring him back, right? The FBI will find him, right? They will bring him back, right?« _

_ »Who would want to keep him anyway?« Luther scoffed and Diego just bit his tongue. _

A wave of cold air washed over him and knocked him awake. His first thought was that he had left his window open before he realized that he had never opened it in the first place after coming home. Diego sat up straight immediately. His gut instinct told him that something was wrong so his hand immediately went to his hip. Sure enough, he didn't find his holster with the gun because the gun was locked securely in its designated cabinet as it should be. He never carried a gun around when he was not on duty. He was not even wearing any knives on his body right now either. Crap.

However, as he actually looked around, there was no one there and the window was closed. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. His eyes flickered over his sparse furniture and even sparser possessions around the living room. The occasional car rushing down the street beneath his window on the third-floor cast just enough light into his apartment for him to see most of the things he had accumulated throughout his apartment. Rain was still pounding heavily against the window. 

The thing with growing up in a house like the academy and being dressed in the exact same clothes as his brothers and not having anything of his own was that it led to a person being even more possessive over the items such a person would own in their adult life. Diego knew that he got a bit obsessive over his stuff sometimes as he was generally an obsessive kind of person. Diego had never been good at doing things in moderation. He didn't have much now as an adult either in terms of worldly possessions but the things he did have he treasured more than anything else. That was why he still tended to mend his clothing when there would be holes in them instead of throwing them away and buying new stuff. Every item of clothing that he owned, every piece of furniture served a purpose and had been chosen carefully. 

Everything seemed just like it should be. Everything except the blue flicker in the corner near the door. That was … odd. First, he thought that it was some weird light anomaly coming through his window, the reflection of a neon sign perhaps but the flicker moved and was almost as tall as he was. It hovered by the door like a mirage almost, barely in the shape of a person but if he would focus enough he could make out the shape of a head and a torso with arms. The rest was more muddled. His breath hitched in his throat and as he breathed out, it puffed out in a small white cloud. The living room was ice cold all of a sudden. 

»What the hell…«

_ »Diego!« _ There was definitely a voice and it echoed through his living room in a way that made it seem as if it would come from all around him. His head hurt at the sound. It was like the sound of a finger brushing over the rim of a glass, swinging inside his skull, making his brain vibrate. _ »Finally! Diego! Can you hear me?« _

He knew that voice but the last time he had heard it was thirteen years ago. Surely, he was still asleep, right? This could only be a dream. There was no rational explanation for it. Why was he so cold then, though? »Ben?« He gasped, surprised over his own reaction as he slowly scrambled to his feet. 

_ »Oh, thank God!« _ The voice echoed as the weird blue cloud of light flickered more and more. By now it looked like those god-awful old fly traps with the blue light that would always flicker when a fly would get in there and be electrocuted. _ »You need to help him! He needs you-« _

Suddenly, Ben’s voice sounded like he was talking through a phone and had crappy reception or was driving through a tunnel. It seemed to fade and crackle and after that, it was hard to make out the words entirely. _ »Drugged … Bunker … Underground … Blackwood-« _ And then the apparition was gone as quickly as it had appeared in the first place. There was no flash of light or anything. It was just gone and Diego was left with the realization that he had just made contact with the spirit of his dead brother. His dead brother who was looking out for the one kid of this family that had been lost so many years ago.

He was frozen in place for a good five minutes until he jumped back into action. In a matter of seconds, Diego had put on dry clothes that he pulled out of his laundry basket, put on his old harness and strapped his beloved knives to his body, holstered his gun and his badge, taken his car keys and rushed out of the apartment without thinking twice about it.

Driving through the rainstorm was hell on earth but Diego still forced his old car through the waterfalls and slippery streets until he brought it to a screeching halt in front of the academy. He jumped out without hesitating a second and rushed over the street and up the stairs to barge inside. The academy was dark as he entered it. From outside he had been able to see that there was no light in the windows facing the street. It was now half-past two in the morning and the house silent and fast asleep. The only sound in the house was the heavy drumming of the rain on the ceiling windows of the living room and against the tall windows.

»LUTHER!« He yelled right away as he barged into the house. »FIVE!« 

He stomped up the stairs as quickly as he could and just as he reached the first-floor landing, he could hear the heavy footfalls of Luther. No sign of Five, though.

»What's wrong? What happened?« Number One emerged from the shadows just as Diego hurried around the edge of the banister. He had clearly not come from their bedrooms and was not dressed in his pajamas either. His best guess was that Luther had been in their father’s office for some reason. Luther didn't pay any mind to lower his voice just like Diego didn't care if they would wake up anyone else in the house as he addressed Diego. 

»Where’s Five?«

»I don't know!« Luther groaned. »Not here. I’m just up because I couldn't sleep.« Knowing his brother, Luther had probably just retreated to the old man’s office and tried to make sense of everything still. Well, at least Diego could not claim that his brother wouldn't take this whole thing just as seriously as Diego was.

»Okay, then we have to do this without the gremlin. I don't care.« Diego groaned and shook the water from his hair. Already he was drenched again. »Listen, there is no nice way to say this, so just listen to me and don't be a bitch about it. I spoke to Ben.«

»What-«

»I don't know how or what happened or why it happened but he kinda showed up at my apartment - his ghost or … whatever.« Luther’s expression was one of pure and utter shock and confusion. He couldn't blame him. He was just as confused and shocked himself and _ he _had actually been there to experience all of this and had a few minutes to digest it! »I don't know and it's not important right now! What's important is that he said something about an underground bunker and he named Blackwood.« 

»What?« Luther gasped again. »How did you know it was Ben?«

»It was pretty obvious since we have only one dead fucking brother, Luther. Now focus. We need to find out where that fucking bunker might be.«

»Wait a tick, Diego!« Luther frowned. »How are we supposed to figure this out by ourselves without more hints?« 

»Blackwood!«

»Yeah?«

»That's our _ hint_, Luther! We need to find out if there might be a bunker on Blackwood’s property.« 

»And how are we going to do that?«

»There has to be some kind of documentation. Probably at city hall, I would assume. We need Five for that, though.« 

»And … Then what? Say we find that there is a bunker on the property. Do you want to … what? Break in? You are a cop, Diego.«

»I know!« He exclaimed. Of course, he could not just break into city hall or even Blackwood’s manor house. It wasn’t as if he would be opposed to bending the rules a bit here and there, but he had made an oath when he became a cop and he intended to stick to it. For the most part, at least. »But I can't get a search warrant so easily - not without concrete evidence that there might be something nefarious going on. And we don't have that evidence and we can't risk Blackwood getting a nose on our investigation or that might be Klaus’ death sentence. If we don't find anything, good okay then I’m just going crazy, apparently. Wouldn't be that much of a surprise now, would it? But if we find Klaus … Luther, we can't - We can't just a-abandon him if there i-is the tiniest chance to find him. And Blackwood would not be stupid enough to go to the police right? Not if we find Klaus at least.« 

»Okay.« Luther nodded. »Good. Okay. We’ll do this. But, Diego, it's late and Five isn’t here. We need him for this. So, let's calm down and take a step back. You said Blackwood lives quite far out. We wouldn't be able to get there before sunrise anyway.«

»What do you propose?«

»We form a proper plan, find out what we can and tomorrow night we strike.«

»Okay.« He couldn't remember that he had ever agreed with Luther on anything until now but it felt strangely nice to finally pull together with his brother for once. »Good. But we need to act quickly. Ben told me that Klaus is being drugged and he seemed … worried before he vanished.« At least that was what he had gathered from the few words he had understood coming from the ghost. 

»It truly must be the end of the world if I see Number One and Number Two agreeing with each other.« Five’s voice had still this quality of nonchalant arrogance in it. Diego hadn't even heard his brother return to the house but now that Five had made himself known, Diego turned and found him standing at the bottom of the staircase completely dry but with half a clothing mannequin under his arm and annoyance etched into his noble features.

**-End of Chapter 5-**


	6. Chapter 6

Being dead was not exactly an ideal state of being and certainly not as easy as the uninitiated might expect. Being dead came, as Ben Hargreeves had to discover thirteen years ago, with its very own set of rules and expectations. For example did he not expect to converse with the world of the living on a regular basis. Of course, that expectation could go flying out of the window when your own brother could see ghosts and was tethered in a more or less healthy way to death itself. 

Such was the case for Ben Hargreeves who had died at the tender age of seventeen, barely a week after his birthday. It had happened during a complete routine mission. Just Luther and him. After all, there hadn't been so many of them left at that point, right? They had been seven children once and on that day only five of them had been left. 

Their brother Klaus had been taken from their home and possibly died five years and 6 days before the day of Ben’s death and their other brother Five had vanished and possibly died a year after that. Vanya, Number Seven, would surely move out soon enough as well. So, of the six initial members of the Umbrella Academy, only four had been left standing on that fateful day. 

To this day, Ben didn't remember much about that mission that had gone so terribly wrong. He recalled that it had been a complete disaster. The people they had meant to take out had expected them and thus Luther and he had only been able to flee at one point. Sure, they were superpowered children but still children at that point, right? There wasn't much after that, just darkness and the acute realization that he had fucked up and made a mistake that he could now never fix.

He remembered floating in a vast black abyss for what felt like an eternity and thinking to himself that this must be death or the afterlife or whatever. No pearly white gates, no choir of angels. No hellfire and grueling demons. Just nothing. Emptiness. And he remembered wondering if that was the same thing his brothers Klaus and FIve had experienced before him. He remembered wondering if he would see them again now, floating near him. He remembered wondering if death might be different for them than for other - normal - human beings because nothing about them was normal or could ever be described as normal. They had been an abnormality on this earth from the moment they took their first breaths, after all. They should by all logic not exist so why should there be a place for them in the normal afterlife?

No, this darkness, he had concluded then, was the dumping ground for beings like them - the mistakes of the universe. As if God had created them for fun and then missed the toss in the garbage bin releasing them on earth by accident. This right here was now the garbage bin. 

And then he had woken up in his own bed and thought that all of that had been just a dream. He had left his room through the open door and ventured downstairs to find his siblings in the parlor. None of them had reacted to him when he had called out to them. At first, he had thought that it was just a stupid prank and decided to play along. As children, they had once all pretended that Klaus was invisible until their brother had started wailing in the corner because he had not known how to shut this power off. He had played along until they all went outside into the yard. Until his father had revealed a black marble statue that was meant to represent him. Until he had realized that he truly was dead. 

Dead and stuck in this house. Stuck in this limbo somewhere between dying and moving on. And he had asked himself if this was what the ghosts Klaus could see were experiencing as well. He had started seeing them a little while after that. Barely visible figments of human beings like cobwebs in the light of an early autumn morning. 

From the moment he had come back to this world, Ben had felt this weird tugging sensation and only then he had decided to follow it. The source of it came from around his stomach. He would almost say it came from his bellybutton as if he was being pulled by a long shed umbilical cord. The sensation had been terrifying even for him but he followed it and that was how he had found his brother at long last. 

In the blink of an eye, he had been in that room - that awful, white room - standing next to the bed where a young teenager had been lying tied to the bed frame. He had recognized his lost brother immediately and not just because of the tattoo on his wrist. His initial joy of finding his brother alive had quickly waned off, however. To Ben, it seemed it would have been a mercy to allow Klaus to die at last. He would never forget the blood-curdling scream his brother had allowed to slip out as he saw Ben standing there next to him, realization clear on his pasty white face. 

Ever since then, Ben had been forced to watch helplessly how this crazy man had tortured Klaus. He had been a helpless observer to how he had analyzed him in every aspect possible and experimented on him and his powers.

Even the day that Blackwood had forced Klaus to get those tattoos on the palms of his hands, Ben had been powerless to help his brother in any way. But at least Klaus was still alive and after five years of not knowing what had happened to his brother, he had finally had the reassurance that Klaus was not yet dead. And all it had taken was for him to die. 

After that whenever Klaus was lucid enough, Ben had talked to him. In the beginning, Klaus had cried every time he had looked at him, knowing that Ben had died. He had tried to convince Klaus that it was okay despite the fact that it was not. His death was on his father’s hands. Not on Luther’s or anyone else's. It was their father who had forced his children into all those dangerous missions. It was their father who had risked the lives of his children every time he sent them out there to fight. To Klaus, it was not that easy and Ben was glad to see that the drugs, the torture, and the mental stress had not fully destroyed the compassionate and caring little boy he had known and that was still deep inside the hollow husk of the teenager he had seen back in those days.

It hadn't always been easy and yet for thirteen years, Ben had stayed by Klaus’ side. Perhaps he was the only thing keeping Klaus sane ever since. But how many times had Klaus almost died under the tests and experiments of that psychopath? How many times had Ben been forced to watch and witness his brother in so much pain that his body had kept convulsing on the metal table inside the lab? Blackwood had pushed and pushed and pushed his brother to the brink of collapse again and again. He had watched Klaus suffer two minor strokes with twenty-five, had seen blood gushing out of his nose and ears under the stress of his still-developing powers and had been terrified to lose him in such a way without being able to do anything.

Now, however, thirteen years later and during a stormy night, Ben finally seemed able to do at least something.

Blackwood had no idea that pushing Klaus this far had meant that his powers were now something that the mad scientist had no idea how to control and no hint of how big they truly were. Ben, however, could feel the true potential that was radiating from Klaus like pure energy, like electricity. That was how he had managed to make himself known to Diego. It hadn't been an easy feat and taken quite a lot out of him. But he had managed. He had drawn energy out of Klaus even as his brother had been unconscious and unable to do anything. At least, it had worked and Diego had understood him. And now his brothers were here. Even Five. Five who was alive. Five who was an adult. Five who had vanished 17 years ago and who was now here with Diego and Luther. 

Blackwood had sedated Klaus earlier this day but Ben could feel enough of his energy radiating through him that he could watch his siblings as they crept across the property.

Blackwood Manor was at night even creepier than during daytime. The estate stared back at the trio with dark and vacant eyes. Not a single light was on inside the house, every window was like a black hole. It was silent apart from the storm whistling through the leaves of the trees around the perimeter. 

»According to the files in City Hall, Blackwood’s father built the bunker during the cold war when the fear of a nuclear war was at its peak. It's located to the north of the house close to the forest. It should be easy enough to find.« Five stated as they crept close to the forest line of the property. 

Just by watching them, he could tell how antsy Diego was. He had never been the most patient man alive and this slow procession was probably making him nervous and mad like a bull. »Okay, okay - stop with the history lesson, Five!« Diego groaned and the wind almost ripped his words away. Despite being so far away from the house itself, his brothers were speaking in hushed voices. They didn't even use their flashlights as they crept through the darkness and the storm. »Just tell us where we need to go!«

»I don't know, Idiot!« Five hissed back. »I told you, it should be at the north end, close to the forest what more do you wanna hear? How hard can it be to find a fucking fallout bunker, Detective?« 

»Guys, come on!« That he would ever get to see the day when it was not Luther who would be arguing with Diego. It was truly a miracle. »We are close, I can feel it.«

»Oh, so now you are a human metal detector or something?«

»No« Luther bit out as he turned to glare at Diego over his shoulder. »But I can see something back there!« 

That something was the entrance to the bunker, as Ben knew. Well, one entrance of the bunker. It was exactly the wrong one because if his brothers would try to open it without the proper key, they would set off an alarm and Blackwood’s hounds would be released from their cages. He had to warn them somehow but with Klaus incapacitated like this it was impossible. Then again, Klaus had been drugged out of his mind and Ben had still somehow managed to show himself to Diego. He had managed to draw from Klaus’ energy enough to make himself known like a fucking poltergeist. He could do it again. He _ had _to do it again!

His brothers were almost at the entrance as Ben tried grabbing Diego’s wrist and tugged on it. He had no idea if his brother had felt it but as he tried it again, Diego flinched and stared right at him.

»Holy shit, you guys!« Diego erupted. »That's it! The same thing I saw at my apartment!« 

Klaus would, without a doubt, tell Diego that calling his own brother a “thing” was rude but Ben couldn't care less right now. He could see him that was all that mattered right now. »Quick!« He gasped. »The forest! Now!« He could not read his brother’s face so he repeated the words louder and tugged harder at his arm.

»The forest!« Diego finally repeated as he turned to the other two. 

»What?«

»I don't know! The forest!« 

»The entrance is right there!« 

»The alarm!« Ben shouted. »The dogs!« 

»Dogs!« Diego repeated. »There’s an alarm at the entrance!« 

»Alarm at the entrance?« Five echoed. »Yeah, makes sense. Okay, the forest it is! Come on, we don't know how much time we have!« He was surprised that Five wouldn't offer to jump them all into the bunker but perhaps he had finally learned his lesson in all those years.

For some reason, he didn't dare to let go of Diego’s wrist as if it would be Diego he was drawing energy from and not Klaus. He was part of a team again, part of the family and he would help his brothers free Klaus at long last. That was, at least the plan before Diego fell into a hole in the ground. 

※※※※※※※

He hadn't seen the hole in the ground. His whole attention had rested on the blue-ish shimmering form that had tried directing him and his brothers through the forest. At least he hoped that this was what had happened. The moment he had first felt the ice-cold grip of something around his wrist, he had known that Ben was there again. Like in his apartment the ghost had been nothing more than a formless cloud of shimmering blue light. Yet, as he had looked at Luther and Five, they had seen it too.

Ben’s voice had been so faint that it was hard to decipher the words, the effect of a radio out of tune stronger than back at Diego’s apartment the other night. Maybe he should have watched where he was going more. Then again who could blame him for being a little inattentive? After all, seeing ghosts was kind of a new thing for someone like Diego. To his credit, Ben could have warned him. Unless it wasn’t even Ben who was guiding them. Still, after that Ouija board incident, everything seemed possible right now. 

He hadn't slept since Ben’s ghost had first appeared in his apartment. He and his siblings had tried everything they could to find out what they possibly could about Blackwood and possible bunkers that could be related to him or his estate. Five had then found the records of the fallout bunker that Blackwood’s father had built at City Hall after teleporting in and stealing the file. Of course, Vanya and Allison wanted to tag along originally if there was even the chance of finding Klaus after such a long time. This was, after all, a family thing and they were just as eager getting their lost brother back as he was. In the end, Luther had made it clear to them that he thought it was too dangerous for them to all come to this place. Diego, on the other hand, was certain that Luther thought that they would not find anything at all and didn't want the girls to waste their time. 

Ever since they came here tonight, his heart had been racing in his chest. Everything seemed to be going too slow and he just wanted to run like a mad man. He wanted to find his brother after eighteen years and take him back home where he belonged. His brothers were slowing him down with each second they spent arguing and then, when Ben’s ghost had appeared again, he had thought that finally, something was happening. 

His left wrist hurt like a bitch as he lay on the bottom of the hole. He had crushed it with the weight of his body and was afraid to move it. Not that it would be the first time he would have broken one or two bones. 

»You okay?« Luther’s voice echoed from the concrete walls of the funnel he had fallen into. Sure enough, a second or two after that, the beam of a flashlight shone down on him from above and fell on a ladder that was attached to the side of the funnel. The iron seemed rusty from age and the influences of the weather but sturdy enough to hold Five or Diego. He was not too sure about Luther. Apparently, he had found another entry to the bunker because on the other side, right opposite to the ladder, Diego could now make out a heavy steel door. 

»I broke my wrist!« Diego shouted back. »And I found a door! Get your asses down here!« 

Five was down in a flash of blue light. Instead of helping Diego up, his brother switched on his own flashlight and took a look around while Diego could already hear Luther grunt as he started his descent down the ladder. For some reason, Diego doubted that the poor thing would be able to carry Luther’s weight. So, instead of remaining down on the ground and thus in the danger zone if Luther would fall, he rolled onto his side and slowly managed to get up. His broken wrist was not the only thing hurting. His ego had taken a blow as well but most importantly, his back hurt like a bitch. He was not a teenager anymore after all.

»I think you found a second entrance!« Five returned his attention to Diego, if only shortly. »Well done. You could have achieved this without almost breaking your back but … we take what we can get I suppose.« 

»I’m glad you still are a man of practical approaches to any given situation.« He snarked cradling his wrist.

»If it means we can look into this situation and get back to the more important stuff then yes.« Five rolled his eyes. »I still don't think that we are going to find anything in here - but I get why you want to make sure that Klaus isn’t here. I still think that he died a long time ago. But I guess it is only natural to try clinging to hope no matter how slim the chances might be.«

»You are a machine, Five.« Luther groaned as he finally arrived down on the bottom of the funnel. It was barely wide enough to hold all three of them because of Luther’s enormous body. For the first time in a long while, however, Diego was glad that he had Luther with him. As he looked at Number One now, he could see the faintest glimmer of hope in Luther's blue eyes as he looked at the door.

»Well, bad news though.« Five sighed. »There is no handle out here. I’m guessing this door was meant as an emergency exit.«

»Good thing we brought a teleporter then.« Diego groaned as he cradled his broken wrist against his chest. He didn't dare to look at it. Not that he would be squeamish but now was not the time to feel nauseous. He needed to focus on the task at hand now and couldn't allow himself any kind of weakness. 

»Good thing I agreed to tag along then. Otherwise, you two idiots would have pried open that other door and would have gotten mauled by the dogs.« 

He was gone in a flash before either Luther nor Diego could say anything else to him. It was probably better this way. Seconds seemed to tick by endlessly and Diego almost feared that his brother had taken it upon himself to explore the bunker by himself instead. Then, however, he heard something click on the other side of the thick steel door, followed by the sound of metal scraping sharply over metal as the heavy door was pushed open from inside. Diego squeezed in first and Luther pushed the door the rest of the way open.

»We’ll leave it like this.« Number One decided firmly. The chances that anyone would see that the door was open from outside were slim and if there was a camera inside that was trained at this particular door, they were screwed anyway, right? The truth was, Diego couldn't care less if they would be caught. No matter who this Dr. Blackwood might send their way, he could take them. 

Five might still be thinking that he was overestimating the old man or this whole entire thing, that he was projecting all his hopes of finding Klaus and that his brother might still be alive into this mission but Diego could feel it in his core that they would find him. It was like electricity surging through him with every step. He was pulled by some invisible force and this time it was not cold like the touch of the ghostly Ben from before. This time it was like a magnetic pull. 

»You could have teleported in and opened the other door, you know? Diego wouldn't have needed to break his wrist then.« 

»Yeah, I could - and I would have.« Five shrugged. »But a) I could have teleported right into a trap and b) that … thing told us not to.« 

»And since when do you listen when someone tells you not to do something?« 

He wondered if Five and Luther felt it too as they crept into the dark bunker, armed with just their flashlights. Luther’s mouth was set in a grim line. He knew that look. He remembered it from their days as crime-fighting superheroes. Luther was not always the serious leader of their team no matter what he tried to portray to the world. He had kept his playful side hidden even from his siblings sometimes - except for Allison. This face he was making now, however, was not just the usually serious Luther. This was something more. 

Luther felt it too.

He felt the energy sizzling in the air. He felt its magnetic pull. 

»Do you guys hear this?« Five finally chimed up as they slowly crept forward. The beams of their flashlights grazed metal doors to both sides of the narrow corridor. Some of them were labeled. They passed two storage rooms, probably filled with tons of canned food from the cold war.

»What do you mean?« Diego asked as he took over the lead.

»It's like … that buzzing when you stand underneath an electricity pylon.« As Diego glanced over his shoulder at Five, the Boy made a grimace. »What _ is _this?« 

And yes, Diego heard it too. It was faint. Barely audible. It was not a sound at all, actually. It was the feeling that a certain sound provoked in him. It was like a swarm of bees buzzing in the air - but the sound was not around him, it was inside of him, underneath his skin, swinging inside of his skull, vibrating inside of his chest, pulling at him. 

»I don't like that.« Luther muttered but Diego quickened his pace. He followed that … _ thing_. Whatever it was. He allowed it to guide him even if it might be stupid. On his way, he passed another set of doors, labeled Laboratory 1 and 2 before the corridor opened into another one to his left-hand side. He rounded the corner without thinking about it.

»Diego!« Five hissed. »Where are you going?«

»I’m just- It's … Just … Come on! It's him!« He didn't know and couldn't tell why he knew this. Fuck, for all he knew it could be anything, right? He felt it though. Deep down inside, he could feel it. It was him. That thing. That weird buzzing, that vibration inside of him, that energy. It was Klaus. And his brothers knew it too. 

He didn't even bother reading the signs on the doors he passed in this new corridor. His steps turned into jogging and he heard that his brothers followed suit behind him, their collective footfalls echoing from the bunker’s walls all around them. His eyes were already trained at the last door at the end of the hallway and the beam of his flashlight bounced off the glass panel in the metal door. Here the _ thing _was the loudest and most aggressive. Here it was almost unbearable. The buzzing was now in his head. His skull was vibrating. He felt as if any second now, his head would explode or his eyes would start to bleed. It was like a living breathing thing. 

He didn't know why but suddenly, he was terrified as he stood there. Diego took a deep breath and then, finally, he looked through the small window in the door. The room behind the door was brightly lit. A concrete room with grey walls and a grey floor. And there, in the corner on a dirty old mattress lay a man. He was resting on his side, his face towards the wall, a mop of brown curls like a bird’s nest on his head. Even from a distance, he looked lanky and thin.

Klaus had always been so thin.

He looked asleep the way he lay there. As Diego’s hand moved to touch the doorknob, his fingers were trembling. The door was locked. No surprise there, right? »I-It's him.« He stuttered as he turned to his siblings with wide eyes and immediately, Luther shoved him aside to have a look. 

»Klaus.« He gasped. Instead of forcing the lock or trying to pick it, Luther got the whole door out of the way with brute force and Diego had never been more thankful for this ridiculous power of his. To his general surprise, there was no alarm going off as Luther ripped the door off its hinges and the figure on the mattress did not flinch as the door fell loudly to the ground. 

»Why isn’t he moving?« Luther asked.

»Are you sure that it's him?« Five whispered. 

»It is« Diego didn't need to think about it. That man, that stranger … it was his brother. He could tell. Inside the room the buzzing should be the worst, he thought, but as he stepped inside it was silent. The eye of the hurricane. Slowly he walked closer towards the mattress on the ground and even as he crouched down beside it and carefully grabbed the man’s shoulder with his good hand, he did not stir. Diego carefully turned him around. For the first time in eighteen years, he came face to face with the brother he had lost so long ago.

And then, out of nowhere, the alarm went off.

※※※※※※※

Saying that the situation was uncomfortable would be an understatement. Five of the Hargreeves’ children sat around in the living room of their ancient home. Diego, Luther, and Five had only managed to escape from the bunker after the alarms had gone off because Five had teleported them all back to the street where they had left the van. At the moment, it had been the only way but ever since, Five was weak and dizzy. Inside the car, he had almost passed out at one point while Luther had floored it. 

Now they were here, sitting in the living room by the crackling fire. Mom had taken care of his broken wrist and Five was nursing a stiff drink while their sisters were still in shock over the whole thing. The sixth living Hargreeves’ sibling was currently still asleep on the sofa. He seemed largely uninjured and in good enough health, albeit much too thin. 

Silence rested heavily over the mansion as the storm tore at the trees that were lining the street outside. Klaus’ presence in the room felt odd. It felt like they were collectively staring at a red wine stain on a white carpet. It was uncomfortable and weird and oddly wrong and misshaped. Diego sat closer to Klaus than the rest of his siblings. Everyone seemed hesitant to come too close except for Luther and him. 

»How is he still asleep?« Vanya murmured as she, at last, broke the silence.

»They drugged him.« Five shrugged as he took another sip of his drink. »Quite heavily apparently. Something must've happened that they felt the need to sedate him. Maybe-«

»His powers.« Diego interrupted quietly and yet in the silence of the room he might as well have yelled the words. »It's his powers. I can't explain it but … somehow he managed to make contact with us even while miles apart through the Ouija board. Maybe he sent Ben, maybe it was Klaus himself.«

»His powers seemed to have grown in the last eighteen years.« Five agreed. »When we were there … It was weird. I never experienced anything like it before. It was-«

»Pure energy.« Luther mumbled over the rumbling of thunder outside. »It was like walking into a hurricane. Strong and … frightening. But it was him, wasn’t it? It was Klaus. No wonder they tried shutting him down.« 

»Blackwood knew that I was onto him.«

»And what now? He will know that we have him, right?« Allison finally chimed in and tenderly grabbed Luther’s arm. »What if he sends his men after us like he did all those years ago?«

»He isn't this stupid.« Diego shrugged. »He can't send the police after us, after all, he knows that I am a cop and if he would send them here, he might as well throw himself in prison right away. He can't do anything. He is probably terrified that we will come after him instead. No. Blackwood is no threat to us.«

»If he is as smart as he thinks he is, he will be afraid of us.« Five agreed with a grim face and all of them knew exactly what their time traveling brother meant. This man had taken their brother away from them. This man had kept their brother for eighteen years. This man had locked their brother up for the majority of his life. This man had done unspeakable things to their brother. This man could deem himself lucky that he was still alive right now and he would better flee the country if he was really that intelligent. 

»So what are we going to do now?« Vanya murmured as she took the plunge and got up from her seat only to walk over to Diego and Klaus. She crouched down on the ground before Klaus and dared to card her fingers through knotted curls. »How should we … approach this? He was a captive for so long … the only people he saw this crazed maniac and whoever else was involved. What if he won’t recognize us anymore? What if he doesn't know who we are anymore? He will be terrified.«

»And if his powers are truly as strong as you felt they were he could be dangerous to us.« Allison agreed. »What if … What if it's him, Five?«

»What do you mean?« Diego shot back before Five could answer. The old man, however, downed his drink and placed the glass on the coffee table hard right on the engraved “No”.

»She means the apocalypse.« He stated grimly. »She means: What if Klaus is the cause? What if he is so powerful now through whatever crap this guy did to him that he can’t control it?« He paused and allowed his head to fall forward to massage his temples with his fingers. »I don't know.« He then sighed. »I have no idea what caused it. All I have is this stupid glass eyeball - an eyeball which has yet to be produced. He could be the cause, yes. What I felt in the bunker … if he cannot control this … No. No, I don't think that he is the reason the world will go up in flames. If he can’t control it, Blackwood Manor would no longer be standing. It must be something different.«

Vanya took one of Klaus’ hands in hers and turned it over to read the tattoo in his palm. “Goodbye” had been marked with ink into the palm of his left hand like on the Ouija board between them. Diego doubted that it had been his own wish. No one in the room had addressed it yet and he knew that no one would. 

»We could make a case against Blackwood.« Diego sighed. It seemed so odd even offering this idea. This was not how the Umbrella Academy had handled things, right? No, but this was how Detective Diego Hargreeves was usually handling things. What came like second nature for him usually in his day to day life seemed now completely out of place. »I could talk to my boss, ask him for a few weeks off to settle everything. If I can explain everything to him and tell him that I want to get Blackwood behind bars for what he did to Klaus, he might allow me to do it. I would need to dig up more dirt on him though and I assume that dirt is buried in the missing journals and documents that he and his men stole from the house eighteen years ago.«

»He will destroy everything.« Luther shook his head. »He isn't stupid. He will destroy every piece of evidence against him.« 

Luther was right and Diego knew this. Blackwood was probably destroying everything right this very second. They had nothing against Blackwood except Klaus’ word and that was only if Klaus would be willing to speak up against his tormentor. Before he would be even remotely close to that point, however, he needed time to heal. Perhaps this house was the worst place for this. Perhaps they needed someone professional to help them with it. What if they would make everything worse instead? Knowing how they worked as a team, they might destroy the rest of Klaus’ fractured psyche in no time. 

»We can talk about this later.« Vanya decided as she clasped Klaus’ left hand with both of hers now and rested her forehead against it for a second. »He is home. That's all that matters right now. Before we do anything else, we need to wait and see.«

It seemed a miracle. Eighteen years ago their brother had been kidnapped. Seventeen years ago, Five had vanished. Now Five had returned from the future and Klaus had been found. They had spent so long in limbo, not knowing what had happened to their brothers and now both of them were here. They were almost whole again. As Diego sat there and allowed his head to fall back into the headrest of the armchair, he felt that there was a presence beside him, a hand resting on his shoulder. He thought that perhaps they _ were _ whole again. Perhaps everyone _ was _here right now.

**-End of Chapter 6-**


	7. Chapter 7

There was noise all around him. A wall of noise. It was deafening. The voices, the crackling of flames, the rustling of fabric. He couldn't make out what the voices were saying. He could only make out that they were indeed saying _ something _\- having a conversation. 

»He will destroy every piece of evidence against himself.« The voice was deep but not deep in a rumbling kind of way. Not deep in the way Blackwood’s voice was deep. Blackwood. Where was the old man? Would he soon come back and let him out of the room? Why had he locked him up in the bunker anyway? He had only used the bunker to lock him up when there was some major experiment going on that he couldn't perform underneath the house. He hated the bunker. He was terribly afraid of the bunker. 

In fact, he didn't want to open his eyes and find grey walls surrounding him. Grey walls and a static silence that he was unable to control. Another voice spoke up, quieter and different, softer, almost melodic but it was only like the buzzing of bees surrounding his head. 

»He is home. That's all that matters right now. Before we do anything else, we need to wait and see.« The voice was that of a woman. He was almost sure that this was true - even though he had no idea when he had last heard the voice of any woman. There was something warm encompassing his left hand and then he felt something heavier on his hand too - but only for a second. The scientists Blackwood employed were all males and no one had ever touched him with such level of warmth and gentleness. Some of them were more frightening than others. Some of them found joy in inflicting pain. Some of them found joy in humiliating him.

He felt his breath hitch at the memory. He felt his throat constrict. He couldn't breathe and there was nothing he could do about it.

※※※※※※※

_ His head hurt - that was the first thing he realized when he came back to it. Had his father put him in the mausoleum again until he passed out? Or had his father forced him to spar with Luther again? He couldn't remember what happened. No, that wasn’t true. He remembered that his siblings had left with Grace, Pogo, and his father. He remembered being left behind by them. He remembered using the Ouija board. He remembered men in ski masks inside his own house. Demons rummaging the corridors, shadows mocking him with grotesque grimaces, flashes of lightning painting ghosts to the walls and the dark guttural grumbling of a beast on the horizon. _

_ He bolted upright before he could even try to form a coherent thought. His eyes flew open but darkness still held him in a tight vice with not a chance of wiggling free from it. At first, he thought that he had something over his eyes but as he felt his face there was nothing there. Wherever he was, it was pitch black. _

_ The racing of his heart was louder than when Diego and he would practice playing guitar together. They wanted to form a band but until now no one was willing to join them in their endeavors. They were not very talented either. He had hoped that Vanya would join them. Vanya was pretty musical, right? But Vanya had just looked at him like a spooked deer and returned to her violin. It was because of Diego. He knew that. Diego was not very nice to her. In fact, they didn't get along at all. Allison hadn't wanted to join either and neither Five nor Ben were musically talented. Luther was not even worth considering. So it was just Diego and he. _

_ He wished Diego was here now. He wished Ben was here. Hell, he even wished Five or Luther would be here now. He wished he wasn't alone in the dark. Terror held him in a tight embrace. He was all alone and could feel the lingering spirits around him getting closer and closer before he could even see them and their horrifying grimaces in the shadows. In fact, he was almost certain now that the shadows were moving. They had eyes, darker than the darkest night and he could feel spiders crawling all over his skin. _

_ »Dad!« Screaming out for his father came as a reflex. It was stupid and childish and tended only to bring him more punishment. Weakness was nothing his father would reward or look upon very keenly. His weakness was the reason why his father would lock him up in the mausoleum, in the first place. He was too weak. He was too soft. That was what his father tended to say. _

_ »Dad!« He tried again, this time louder and his own voice echoed from barren walls and split his head in two. »Dad, please! Please! I promise to be good! Dad!« But there was no response. No heavy steel doors being pulled open from the outside, no voice answering him through a heavy wall. »Diego! Luther!« But his brothers didn't come to his aid either. »Ben! Five!« He was alone. Completely alone and no one would come to save him. No one would come to let him out. _

_ The ghosts, however, were inching closer towards him. They grew more solid with each second, their gaunt grey faces a stark and sudden contrast to the vibrant darkness around him. They were reaching for him, trying to grab him and he knew that they couldn't touch him, that they couldn't get to him and yet he tried crawling backward into the next corner. And even as his back hit the wall, the ghosts were moving closer and closer and closer until he couldn't see anything else, until he couldn't feel anything but coldness, until he couldn't breathe any longer. _

_ He pressed his hands on his ears and screwed his eyes shut but the faces were still there, the ghosts were still lingering and screaming in his ears. They were begging for his help, screaming at him to help them. They were trying to get into his skin, take him over, _ be _ him. They wanted him because he was alive. _

_ They were terrifying and devoid of all humanity. They had long forgotten who they were. They had long forgotten their humanity. They were only beasts now. Driven by their desire to inflict pain. Driven by their own pain. Driven by their thirst for revenge. They were vicious animals and they wanted nothing more than to tear him limb from limb. _

_ Years seemed to have passed until the sharp shrieking sound of metal scratching over metal announced a door being pulled open. His father! Reginald came to get him out! The beam of a flashlight was directed at his face and blinded him. He couldn't see the person holding the light. To him, it was just a black towering shape the size of a mountain. _

_ »Welcome to Blackwood Manor, Number Four.« _

※※※※※※※

»Klaus!« As he finally found the strength to open his eyes he stared at a white ceiling. There was nothing unusual or weird about the ceiling above him. It was plain white except for the few questionable stains here and there. It was the same old white ceiling that Klaus had woken up to every day for the last eighteen years. 

Except … Where was the loud neon light shining down on him? Where was the constant low buzzing of the camera moving and panning across the room? It was … quiet. Blissfully quiet. Quiet except for Ben's nagging voice. Quiet except for the sound of someone breathing close by. That wasn't Ben. Ben was dead. He didn't need to breathe.

And then he slowly started to notice little things as if they were unlockables in a video game. A window to his left. A desk to his right. A stuffed unicorn at the foot of his bed - a secret compartment for his weed. Posters hanging on the walls, messy drawings covering scribbles on the walls. Little things that started to slot together and merge into something huge. He knew this place. 

»Klaus!«

»Ben?« His throat was raspy and weak and it didn't sound like he remembered his voice to sound. This was not how his voice was supposed to sound. Not here. Not in this room. Not after he had just came back from that awful nightmare and found his world intact again. »Benny?« 

He tried looking around but his head was heavy. He found Ben sitting at the foot of the bed but he didn't look like he was supposed to look. He looked like he did in his nightmare. But that couldn't be right, could it? If Ben looked like this it meant that he was dead and he couldn't be dead if all of this had just been a nightmare. Then he recognized that his feet almost reached the end of the bed now. That too should not be possible, right? He was twelve years old and barely taller than Vanya! Right?

»Don't freak out.« Ben said but he was fuzzy around the edges, flickering. »Stay calm, okay? You are home. You are safe.« 

»Klaus?« There was another voice, gruff and deep and familiar in a weird way that he could not quite pinpoint. A hand reaching out for him and touching his shoulder. The touch was warm. He had been freezing before without even realizing it. He was always freezing. »Hey…«

Slowly, he turned his head just enough to one side to see the other person in the room. There was something familiar about the man sitting on Klaus’ desk chair. He was dressed in all black, a thick scar running along the side of his head as if a bullet had once brushed him there. Klaus knew that it hadn't been a bullet, though. He knew that the man had been hit with his own knife - by him. He remembered the day when Diego had allowed him to practice throwing his knives. They shouldn't have smoked weed before. He felt his own eyes blink slowly. Never had he been more aware of the machinations of his own body as they came deliberate and slow. He remembered seeing the living room, remembered seeing a group of people when he had spoken through the Ouija board in his nightmare. 

Diego. The man was Diego. Deep down in his brown eyes, Klaus could still see the awkward pre-teen that he had last seen eighteen years ago. He remembered his favorite brother Diego with his limbs flailing around like the tentacles that would come from Ben’s stomach, with legs that were too long for him and ears that stuck out from his head too much. He remembered playing cops and robbers with Diego. Remembered him stuttering his way through it when he would read Klaus his rights after getting caught. There was no way that this Diego, the soft, good-natured, sensitive kid from back then, was the man now sitting beside him. He had accepted it as truth the last time he had seen all his siblings in one place but now that he was actually here, it was not nearly as easily to accept. This was a dream, right? This was some hallucination, right? The doctor was testing some new drug again, right?

»Is this real?« He turned back to Ben and his brother nodded quickly. 

»It is.« Diego replied suddenly and pulled his attention back to him. »It’s real. You’re home.«

There were tears shimmering in his eyes and suddenly Klaus felt a new wave of panic rushing through him. He didn't get enough time to react though as the other man suddenly moved to sit on the edge of his bed and pulled him up and into his arms. He was momentarily stunned as the stranger wrapped a pair of strong arms around him and held onto him as if his life depended on it. All Klaus got to experience, however, was panic and a shortness of breath. He couldn't seem to fill his lungs with air at the sudden closeness. _ Diego _was suffocating him. His heart was racing and he was suddenly gasping for breath, wheezing even.

»Diego!« There was another voice but Klaus could barely understand it. All he did understand was that the weight, the heaviness, the suffocating warmth, and the arms were suddenly gone. That didn't mean that he could breathe better, though. His first instinctive reaction was to crawl backward on his bed until his back hit the metal frame that was his headboard. 

Suddenly, his own childhood room, his refuge from when he was just a little boy, didn't promise safety anymore. He was terrified. Terrified of the monsters under his bed, terrified of the things lurking in the back of his closet, terrified of the man he had recognized to be his brother - his long lost best friend and companion. The world around him was spinning and his chest felt tight. He was too young to have a heart attack, right? He was barely twelve, after all! No … No, that wasn't true. He knew that it wasn’t true. He was much older than twelve now. He was almost thirty, right? Knowing this, however, did not always mean understanding it. It didn't mean comprehending it. Logically, he knew it was true but there was nothing logical about any of this. How could he be almost thirty when the last eighteen years had been nothing but a nightmare? 

Surely, he would wake up any second now. He would wake up in the living room and his father would scold him for falling asleep like this. He would send him to bed and then Klaus would sneak out and over to Diego - or he would try to use the tin can phone that they had installed at one point. And Diego would tell him all about the trip and how boring it had been or how he and Luther had gotten into a fight over the cookies Mom had brought with her. Silly little things - never anything serious. But Diego would tell him all these silly little things and Klaus would be able to breathe and he would fall asleep to the sound of his brother’s voice and then everything would turn back to normal because he couldn't be older than twelve, right? It was not possible that he had spent eighteen years locked up in a cellar, right?

»Klaus, you need to calm down!« Ben’s voice was always his anchor, always the thing grounding him in reality. »Everything is okay. Deep breaths, remember?« 

Klaus was not even remotely in control as he felt Ben’s cold hands prying his own away from his ears. He hadn't even realized that he had started clutching his spinning head and pressing his hands tightly over his ears to block out all the sounds. It just happened and he had no control over any of this. Ben was only a flickering blue specter in his field of vision right now and he barely noticed the blue glow coming from his own hands. By now, it was second nature and at least Ben was here now, he could explain everything, he could make sense of everything. 

»Ben-« He choked out, relieved by the cool touch of his dead brother. »I can’t breathe.« 

»Calm, Klaus.« Ben tried again. »You are okay. No one is trying to hurt you, right? You are home. _ We _are home. Look!« Ben was a bit more forceful than usual as he grabbed both sides of Klaus’ head to turn his attention back to the rest of the room. There was Diego, that grown version of him at least and there was a much taller man right beside him, a hand on Diego’s shoulder to hold him back. Luther. Number One was easy to recognize. He seemed even bigger now than he did when Klaus had seen his siblings on the day of his father's funeral. 

※※※※※※※

Klaus had not said another word ever since he first woke up and talked to Ben instead of Luther and Diego. Seeing Ben on the bed - not that weird vague blue shape or cloud or whatever - was amazing in and of itself, of course, but he had vanished into thin air almost as quickly as he turned up. Klaus was too weak to hold him in their world, as it seemed and his weakness radiated from his every pore too as he finally slumped back into the pillows of his childhood bed. There was nothing left of that energy buzzing in the air like when they were at the bunker. 

They had decided, before bringing Klaus up to his own room, that they should not crowd him too much when he would wake up. His siblings had quickly decided that he, Diego, should be the one to keep watch over him because he was the most likely to be recognized by Klaus and the most likely to be trusted by Klaus. In the end, he had terrified Klaus to the core, so much that he wouldn't even speak anymore. He had fucked this situation up royally. 

»I think … Maybe someone else should-«

»You can do this, Diego.« Luther sighed after Diego came back to the living room for the second time in ten minutes. Klaus had quickly fallen back asleep after his little panic attack and the first shock of being back in his childhood home. Now, an hour later, the siblings had finished their war council and decided that Diego should go back up to slowly ease Klaus into his new situation again. Diego, on the other hand, had not yet made it up the stairs. 

»N-No. You don't get it, Luther! Last time I was there I made him suffer a panic attack!«

»I would have reacted the same way, Diego.« Allison suddenly ensured him out of nowhere as she walked closer and brushed a hand over his upper arm. »Geez, Diego … Don't be so hard on yourself. We haven't seen him for eighteen years, we all thought- _ Most _of us thought that he was dead. Of course, you would get excited when he finally woke up, right? You just wanted to show him that you missed him and love him and that he is safe. I am sure he will get it when he settles down.«

»I’m not so sure about that.«

»He is traumatized.« Vanya helped from where she was sitting on the sofa. Her smile was soft as she looked at him now, reassuring even. »He went through hell and back. Give him time. Now go and be his brother. More is not necessary.«

»I can't stress enough that we don't have time for all of this coddling.« Five huffed.

»You said the apocalypse was happening on April 1st, right?« Luther sighed. »That's almost an entire month away, Five. We _ do _ have time to take care of our brother. We have to _ make _time.« 

»Okay, listen, Diego, I’ll come with you.« Allison then smiled and patted his shoulder. »You’ll see, it’ll be okay.« 

He didn't doubt that Allison would be able to find a way to calm Klaus down if he would be scared of Diego again. Allison and Klaus had never been the closest of the seven siblings but they had understood each other in a way that was very different from how he himself had understood his brother. When Klaus had first started to express interest in makeup and fashion - and boys - Allison had been the one to help him figure shit out. To them, as siblings, it had never mattered that Klaus was gay. This didn't change a thing about their brother and their love for him for the rest of them, after all. Yet, it had taken Allison and her empathy to get that through to Klaus and make him realize that they wouldn't love him any less for it. 

Reginald, of course, had not approved of their sisterly bond - as Klaus had called it as a joke. Reginald had not approved of Klaus doing his own thing and desperately wanting to be an individual, even if that meant wearing nail polish. No, _ especially _if it meant wearing nail polish.

He gave a nod as confirmation. This wasn't easy for him. Eighteen years he had spent fantasizing about this day when he would be reunited with his brother and now that it was here it was so very different. Of course, he should have known, right? He was a cop. He should have known that Klaus would not jump into his arms and cry tears of joy for being reunited with his brother at last. He was scared. It was like Vanya said. He was traumatized. He needed time. Time that they probably did not have because Five was right in that aspect. 

They had no idea what would be the cause of the apocalypse. Yes, it could very well be Klaus but it could be something else entirely too, right? Maybe it didn't even have anything to do with them. Maybe, in the future, they had just tried to fight whatever happened. Maybe in the timeline that Five had seen, they had never found Klaus and he had died like the rest of the 7.53 billion people in a firestorm without even realizing what was happening. After all, Five had said that he had never found Klaus - as he had never found Vanya or Ben. Ben had been long dead, after all, and Vanya … Vanya had probably been somewhere else, doing her normal-people stuff. 

»He’s still asleep.« Allison commented when they reached Klaus’ old bedroom. He seemed too big for his bed. It was odd. So odd seeing him in his old room again with those childish drawings all over the walls. Their father had not changed a single thing about Klaus’ room just like he had not changed Five or Ben’s rooms. They had become shrines to the lost siblings much more than the portrait, the statue or that awful table could ever be. 

Now, Klaus seemed out of place in his own bed. A grown man, lanky and much too thin. Underneath that gaunt grey face, the stubbles around his jaw, and the tousled hair, was a pretty young man. Klaus had always been the prettiest of them boys. He would have gotten into a lot of boy-trouble in his teenage years and Diego had sometimes wasted precious time imagining how he would have been the one to chase Klaus’ boyfriends away. He would have enjoyed the role of Klaus’ protector. He would have done everything he could to keep him safe and out of trouble.

And now his baby brother looked at him only with panic. He was almost glad that his eyes were still closed. 

»We can't let him sleep forever, though.« Diego sighed. »It's noon. He needs something to eat.« 

»Don't tell me you are too scared to wake him up.« Allison huffed.

»I’m just saying … you are the far more motherly type.«

»You are afraid.«

»I gave him a panic attack!«

»You are such a baby.« Allison rolled her eyes but she sounded fond - oddly enough - as she slowly walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the bed gingerly. 

He watched her how she gently brushed her fingers through Klaus’ outgrown messy curls. Everything in the way she touched her long lost brother was gentle and caring and motherly. Diego had never met his niece, Claire, but he could almost see how his sister had taken care of her before fucking it all up. Well, he couldn't fault her. After all, he couldn't even make a simple relationship work at all. After Patch, he had stayed solo except for the occasional one nightstand. At one point, he had allowed work and his obsession with Klaus’ disappearance to dominate his entire life.

»Klaus…« She cooed calmly. »Klaus wake up, dear.« Diego almost thought that she had rumored him the way Klaus’ eyes opened right away. »Hey…« Allison smiled as Klaus instinctively flinched away from her at first. His eyes were those of a scared animal once more but Allison’s presence seemed to calm him a little. »Hey, Klaus … How are you feeling?«

His breath started to hitch again in his throat as his eyes moved over to the door where Diego was still standing. Never in his life had he felt worse than now. His brother was so scared of him that even looking in his direction was almost too much. He hated that. He had spent so much time trying to find his brother and now this very same brother was afraid of him. 

Klaus didn't answer even as Allison directed his gaze back to her. »You are probably hungry, right? Come on, we’ll get some food in your belly, right? Mom made your favorite sandwich.« 

Klaus was completely compliant as Allison pulled his blankets away and made him get up. He only paused because Diego still stood in the doorway and only moved again when Diego took a step back and allowed him enough room to walk into the hallway at Allison’s hand. He was like a child as he followed his sister through the house, wary of everything, his eyes darting over once familiar furniture and walls while Diego walked behind them like a dog.

It stung that Klaus seemed to feel safer with Allison than him. 

When they reached the kitchen, Klaus again paused in hesitation. He couldn't see his eyes but he imagined them to have the same frightful look from before as he allowed them to dart all over the room. Mom stood near the stove and as Allison and Klaus walked in, she turned around with the brightest smile she had programmed into her. Diego knew that it was impossible to tell what had been done to Klaus or what eighteen years in captivity had done to his already damaged psyche. That they had a long way ahead of them never became clearer than when Klaus saw Grace and ran towards her at once only to throw himself into her arms like a child would do. In his head, he was probably just that.

Everything inside of him ached as Klaus pressed his face into the crook of Grace’s neck and let out a gut-wrenching sob that seemed so far removed from the brother he had once known by heart. When Allison looked at him, he forced a small smile but he was sure that his face still got stuck in the very same frown it always wore and was by now his default expression. Maybe that was why Klaus was so afraid of him.

His mother held Klaus close to her chest and brushed her fingers gently through his unruly curls as she allowed him to cry and let everything out. To Klaus, Grace was the only constant in this house, the one thing that had not changed a bit. The one thing that was still as it used to be. Grace gently maneuvered him over to the table where she sat down with him. To her, Klaus weighed nothing at all as she pulled her long lost boy on her lap so that Klaus wouldn't need to break the contact and Diego- He felt helpless watching his Mom with Klaus like this. He started to realize that there was nothing he could do to help his brother. He had spent so much time trying to find him, wrecking his brain and obsessing over the case that he had never stopped to consider what he was going to do when he would have found him at last. Now he realized that there was _ nothing _he could do. 

»Come, little Bumblebee, eat a little, yes?« His mother finally spoke up as Klaus’ breathing evened out again and his shoulders stopped trembling. Bumblebee. When had he last heard Grace say this pet name? It seemed a whole lifetime ago now. Klaus, however, reacted to it and her words. Slowly, very slowly, he detached himself from Grace and scrambled over to the chair right next to her, although he shuffled the chair closer to her side until Grace put her arm around his shoulders and let him eat in peace. 

Klaus had never been a great eater. Now, however, he was eating like a bird, picking at his sandwich and barely getting anything down. Diego and Allison hovered uselessly near the door while they watched. 

»I think a nice long hot bath would be in order, Darling.« Grace turned to Klaus after a few minutes of him picking at his food. »How does that sound? You always liked baths, right?« There was barely a nod coming from Klaus but Diego could see how his eyes briefly moved to the left as if there was someone standing next to the table. _ Ben_, he briefly thought. Maybe it was Ben. Grace brushed a hand through Klaus’ hair to get his attention back. »Why don't you go with Diego when you are done? He’ll help you.« 

Suddenly, it was Diego who was afraid as Klaus looked up and over to him. There was still fear in his brother’s green eyes but he nodded ever so slightly. It was only thanks to the trust he held in his mother and Diego harbored no illusions about that. 

After Klaus managed to get one half of the sandwich down, his brother rose from his chair again. He offered Klaus his hand and to his biggest surprise, Klaus actually took it. In fact, as Diego led him out of the room, Klaus held onto his hand with both of his own as for dear life with his nails digging half-moons into Diego's wrist and the palm of his hand. 

The last time his brother had held onto him like this was when they were no older than ten years old and Klaus in dire need of Diego’s help after wetting his bed in the aftermath of a nightmare. He had been terrified back then too. Terrified of having to go find Mom and tell her because that had entailed telling Dad too. To their father, such accidents were unacceptable back then especially at that age. Klaus, however, had always dealt with this problem from early on. His nightmares too terrifying and his waking hours hardly any better after his powers had first awoken inside of him. 

His father had reacted with punishments to this behavior and that, in turn, had only made it worse. Klaus had been the last of them to stop wetting his bed at age eight - only to start doing it again almost half a year later. Diego knew now that it started back up again around the same time their father had started to throw Klaus into the mausoleum and lock him inside. Back then, he hadn't known the reason for his brother’s excessive night terrors and the rest of their siblings had become seriously annoyed with Klaus. 

It was awkward as they reached the bathroom. Memories of them bathing together as children threatened to surface again as Diego decided to quickly bridge the gap between the door and the bathtub after Klaus had let go of his one functioning hand. It was probably for the best to get this over as quickly as possible now before the awkwardness would be unbearable. It wouldn't be the first time that he had seen Klaus naked too. Klaus had never been exactly shy about his body. As he walked over to the tub he felt as if he was walking through a wall of utter coldness but he quickly shrugged it off and turned on the faucet to fill up the tub. 

»Allison and Vanya went to the shops earlier.« He informed his brother as casually as possible as he grabbed the bath bomb their sisters had bought for Klaus. »They bought this for you. Apparently, it makes the water look like a galaxy or something. I’ve never used one of these. I guess you’re supposed to throw it in after the tub is filled up. Anyway, the girls thought you might like it.« Talking suddenly seemed much easier than drowning in this uncomfortable silence. Klaus, however, still stood there motionless, his eyes resting on the bath bomb in Diego’s hand. Only having one hand was still weird to Diego but he had to manage for now. 

With a small sigh, Diego walked back over to Klaus and pressed the bath bomb in Klaus’ left hand. »Come on. Let’s get you into that tub, okay?« Carefully as to not startle his brother again, Diego slowly maneuvered Klaus to the tub. To his surprise, Klaus actually started to undress himself then. It was almost as if he had awoken from a slumber and, as Diego switched off the faucet when the tub was almost overflowing, Klaus dropped the bath bomb in only to watch how it exploded into a vast ocean of colors and glitter. 

There was the slightest, the tiniest of smiles tugging at Klaus’ lips then. It was barely there, just a twitch of the corners of his mouth and yet it was enough to give Diego hope that his brother was still in there. With his help, Klaus stripped completely and finally got into the tub. A bit of the water sloshed over the edge and splashed on the tiles but neither one of them had the capacity left to care. 

»I’m sorry that I scared you.« Diego muttered calmly as he took a seat on the lid of the toilet. »I didn't mean to scare you … I am just … so happy that I’ve finally found you. The others thought you were dead … they gave up searching. But I always knew you were still out there.« 

He didn't even know if his brother believed him because Klaus did not react at all. He just laid in the bathtub with his eyes closed and his breathing deep and deliberate - almost as if he was meditating or trying to collect his thoughts. He recognized the technique as the one Luther had taught Klaus once after an especially bad nightmare. Sure, Luther and Klaus had not often gotten along but Luther had never been outright cold or cruel to Klaus either. When Number Four had been in need of help, Luther had provided this help. He liked feeling needed by his siblings, after all.

»I understand that you need more time.« Diego added after a moment of hesitation. »I get it, really. And you have all the time you need. I won’t pressure you to tell me anything and the other’s won't either but … we are just glad that we’ve got you back, okay, Klaus? We missed you so much and … nothing was the same after you vanished. It was the first crack in the facade, I guess. What I’m trying to say is that … i-if you w-wanna talk … I’m here, okay? I’m always here for you.« 

Again, he was met only with silence from his brother and he had not expected anything else, truly. Klaus needed time. He needed to heal before he would be able to talk again. He could give him this time. However, he didn't know if Five would be able to give him that time too. In fact, Diego would be inclined to claim that Five had stayed out of Klaus’ way as much as he possibly could - even beyond reason, he would say. 

»I … Uhm … you know … if you want to … if it’s not too much … I mean … Uhm-« _ Jesus Christ, Diego! You are a detective! You are investigating murders on a daily basis! Stop being such a pussy! He is just your brother! _ His brother whom he had not seen for eighteen years. His brother of whom Diego didn't know what he might have gone through in all those years. »the others are downstairs. Allison, Luther, Vanya, and Five. If you want to … we could join them after your bath. Don't worry … they won’t pester you with questions or something. We all just want … we want to spend time with you. If you don't want to, though … that's okay too. Luther thought that … that maybe we could order pizza later and just be together as a family. Before Dad’s death … well, we went our separate ways after Ben died - the remaining four of us.« 

How do you go about integrating a long lost family member back into said family? A family that had been split apart so many years ago anyway? They had been cracked by Klaus’ disappearance and then broken apart fully by Five vanishing and Ben dying. They all needed to heal. They all needed to find a way to mold back together into the vague shape of a family unit now. 

»Okay…« He almost flinched at the sound of Klaus’ voice. It was thin and small and barely even there. For a second he wasn’t sure that he had heard it at all but then he noticed how Klaus looked at him before his eyes darted to a corner opposite of Diego. He gave a small nod and Diego could only assume that Ben had said something. Ben … Ben who died. Ben who was with their brother. Had he been with Klaus ever since he died? If so, Diego was grateful. This way, Klaus had at least had someone by his side. 

Klaus remained in the bathtub for half an hour before Diego helped him to get out again and wrapped him in a towel. After that, he led Klaus back to his room and only left him for two minutes that he needed to fetch a pair of sweatpants, boxer shorts, and a loose-fitting shirt from his teenage days. He had last worn these clothes when he was seventeen but since Diego had always been a bit taller and broader than Klaus, they should fit him well enough. And they did. He gave his brother just enough privacy to get dressed and found that the clothes still seemed big on Klaus even though Klaus and he stood now at the same height.

They made their way down into the old living room together, Klaus once more clinging to his hand the same way he did before. He could feel his nervousness radiating from him as they walked down to meet the others. He couldn't blame him. It had to be frightening after so long a time. He was almost afraid that there was nothing left of the old Klaus in that husk of a man trailing after him and clutching his hand. He was afraid that they had lost that bubbly loud-mouthed boy forever.

Diego could hear his siblings chatter as they walked down the stairs - most prominently Five who had raised his voice quite a bit to argue with someone. Well, it was Five. He argued probably with all three of the other Hargreeves kids. And knowing Five’s current obsession, his topic of choice was the apocalypse. 

As they walked through the open sliding doors, however, the chatter stopped immediately and all eyes landed on the two brothers. He felt Klaus slide behind him right away as if he would be able to hide from their siblings like this. Without realizing it at first, Diego squared his shoulders a little more before he made another step forward and into the room. He didn't force Klaus to step around him, just carefully guided him to one of the couches closer to the fireplace and waited until he sat down before he slid into the seat next to him.

»Hey … Klaus.« Vanya smiled and didn't move from her position. Neither did Luther or Allison. Five, on the other hand, didn't even look at Klaus right then. He looked towards the bar instead where he had propped up that weird-ass mannequin that he had stolen from a store the other day. Dolores, he called her. Apparently, he thought that she was his wife and had spent the apocalypse with her. Well, after being alone for such a long while, you were bound to go cuckoo, he assumed. Five had always been a little crazy, of course. Perhaps the shock of getting thrust into the literal end of the world had been sufficient enough to traumatize him and make him go crazy already, to begin with. Years alone in this wasteland had then only added on to the crazy.

In a way, Five and Klaus had always been a bit similar to each other. They both had been crazy from the start in a way. Only their inherent flavors of crazy had been vastly different. Wherein Klaus’ craziness had been kinda funny and wild and without the intent to harm, Five’s level of crazy had been dark and dangerous. They were two ends of the same spectrum. 

Klaus didn't really react to Vanya and as Diego looked at him, his brother stared at Five. The silence was heavy as it fell upon them. No one really dared to speak because no one knew what to say. It was odd. Sure, they had never been great at communicating with each other but they had never been shy to start talking to each other either. 

»Remember« It was Klaus who suddenly broke the silence but his eyes still remained on Five. »Remember … how you killed me with your umbilical cord?«

And, just like that, Diego knew that Five was not the only one who had gone completely insane. And yet, the way Five reacted to Klaus’ words was not spooked or weirded out at all. He just returned his attention back to Klaus and gave a small smile as if Four and Five knew something that the rest of them did not. 

**-End of Chapter 7-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dundunDUN!!!!! What did Klaus mean? What does Five know? Tune in next time to another episode of Denver Clan


	8. Chapter 8

Twins. After everything that he had seen and heard in the twenty-nine years of his life, this was certainly the weirdest thing he had ever heard. Not because the concept of twins confused him or freaked him out. It was perfectly natural. It was just that he had never expected to hear anything like that concerning his own family. Twins. 

»How did we … I mean … We should have … Shouldn't we have known this?« Vanya managed to get out after a moment of just trying to wrap her head around what they all just heard from the mouth of their time-traveling brother. »And how … I mean … When did you find out? Dad never told any of us! And Klaus … He would have told everyone if he had known before the kidnapping!«

»I found out during my time at the commission. They have files about every single person in existence across time. I learned a lot snooping around the archives whenever I got a bit of free time on my hand during my training there. That's how I found out.« 

»But you didn't find out about … Well, why we are here?« Allison quickly chimed in before any of her siblings could divert the general attention from this very important topic. Diego was actually very thankful for her attention to detail right now. With ‘here’ she meant, of course, how they had come into existence.

»No. I mean … they probably know but there was nothing.« Five sounded honestly disappointed in this fact. 

Diego could very well imagine his brother snooping around those archives, trying to find out everything he possibly could about their family and their existence like a mad man. Having been there at the one place in the universe where he might be able to find answers and still not being able to do so must have been crushing, to say the least. 

»And how did you … learn the truth?« Luther carefully directed at Klaus now. He was curled up on the sofa closest to the fire with a soft knitted green blanket - the same one their mother had last made for him before he had vanished - but his gaze rested on the coffee table that he had used only days before to make contact with his siblings. Until now, neither one of them had any clue how he had done it. 

»He told me.« Klaus shrugged. He wouldn't say the name but they all knew who he meant. »It was in Dad’s notebooks. The ones he stole from Dad that night.« 

»So you are really … twins.« Diego concluded quietly. He almost didn't dare speak up too loudly. 

»Seems like it, yeah.« Five shrugged. 

»What did Klaus mean ‘remember when you killed me’?« It was Luther who caught on again to Diego’s genuine surprise. While he himself needed to sit down to really process this new information right now, Luther seemed at least adamant to shed a bit more light on Klaus’ weird statement. Not that Number Four would have said anything more. 

»Turns out, our birth was quite violent.« Five huffed with a roll of his eyes and raised his glass of whiskey in a silent toast to his twin brother on the sofa. »Big surprise, I know. He was the first to be born but apparently my umbilical cord was somehow wrapped around his neck. He was strangled and died. I came out only seconds later.«

»Dad believed that's how I got some of my powers.« Klaus’ voice was quiet and hollow, barely audible over the ticking of the grandfather clock at the far wall of the parlor. 

»Some?« Luther echoed.

»I can levitate … and move things.«

»You mean like telekinesis?« Allison interjected again and Klaus only hummed as if it wasn’t even a big deal.

»Wow … that's huge.« Vanya sighed. »I mean … not only your powers, Klaus but … the fact that you guys are … twins. And dad never told us … Why didn't he tell us?«

»Because it's not important.« Five shrugged. »It doesn't change anything. No one knows how we came into existence. The fact that we came out of the same womb doesn't mean anything. We were not in there for nine months together but barely for ten minutes. I would go as far as to claim that we probably don’t even share DNA.«

»That's not … how this works, Five.« Diego sighed.

»So since when are you the expert here?« 

Knowing that they were twins now explained a lot of things actually. The similarities between Five and Klaus had always been uncanny. Sure, they didn't look exactly like twins but they shared at least some attributes - like the dark hair and the green eyes or the sharp cheekbones and the pale skin. Although the pale skin could be attributed to a life under ground for over a decade in Klaus’ case. It also explained something about their attitudes and personalities. Klaus and Five had always been like opposite ends on the same spectrum of crazy. There was the destructive and sometimes almost evil crazy that was Five and then there was the fun and chaotic kind of crazy that was Klaus - or that used to be Klaus. 

»So, clearly Five is the evil twin.« He didn't expect Klaus to make a joke but he probably should have. It was Klaus, after all. No matter how many years had passed - he was still Klaus. A part of Diego wanted to ask Klaus what he meant with he could do ‘more things’ than just seeing the dead, communicating with them, move things with his mind and levitate. Hell, as if that wouldn't be more than enough already. 

»Why did you never … show any signs of those other powers?« It was Five again who kept the conversation rational and grounded in something as unimportant as possible - as if he would be unable to even fathom that his brother wouldn't want to talk about that and that he instead should maybe try to understand what Klaus was feeling right now. They had just gotten their brother back after eighteen years. No, they had just gotten two brothers back after over a decade of separation. They shouldn't be talking about powers or secrets. They should try to get to know each other again, grow back together into a family!

»Oh … You know, Sunshine … Having mangled corpses screaming into your ears at all hours of the day without anyone realizing what happens to you, tends to have the effect of drowning out everything else.«

»You mean … You didn't know?« Five scoffed and it was this same arrogant tone he had already had as a child. Five always had this vibe about himself as if he thought that he was better than his siblings. Knowing Five, that was probably exactly what he had always thought. So, that Klaus hadn't known about his other powers probably didn't come as a surprise to Five now and only served to strengthen his belief to be superior to them instead. 

»As I said: they were loud.« Klaus didn't seem fazed by his brother’s reaction at all. He didn't seem fazed by anything right now but Diego could tell that nothing was further from the truth. Nobody stayed locked up for eighteen years somewhere and came out just fine, right? »So, I couldn't focus on other things. It was hard enough not to get distracted all the times. Why do you think did Dad always punish me for misbehaving?« 

The gaze he turned at his siblings now before it paused on Five was almost accusatory as if he had expected them to realize what hell he was living in sooner. As if he had hoped that his siblings would maybe be able to help him. The truth was that not even Diego had fully been able to understand the true horrors of Klaus’ powers. He had been there for his brother as much as he could but, in the end, it hadn't been enough. 

»Surround a child with legions of ghosts all telling him to put his head in the oven or wrap a noose around his neck and you’ll get a very distracted child.« It sounded like a joke but they all knew that it wasn't. They all remembered those incidents, after all. Klaus had not known what was real then. He had been too little. Too little to understand that the people telling him those horrible things weren't real. Too little to understand what he had been about to do. When Luther had pulled him out of the oven at age four, Klaus had claimed that ‘the man’ told him to. »And then with Dad around … or you guys … it was not the ideal environment for someone like me, I would say.« 

»And now you do have them under control?« Vanya asked. »The dead?«

»For the most part.« It sounded like a question and it didn't escape Diego how Klaus’ eyes flickered over to a corner. Ben? »Except for one ghost. He’s being a dick most of the time.« 

»So … Ben was with you?« Luther dared to ask. »This entire time?«

»Since he arrived bloody and torn to shreds in my humble abode, yes. Gave me a heart attack - literally.« He forced a laugh but nothing about that was even remotely funny. 

»You … You made Ben … visible to us.« Luther began again. »Twice. Once in Diego’s apartment and then when we were at the mansion. Do you remember that? Could you do it right now?«

»He needs to rest, Dickhead!« Diego frowned. »Look at him! Does he look like he could conjure our dead brother right now?«

»I probably could but I … Ben says no.« Klaus smirked in the direction of that same corner again. »Oh, loosen up a little. And I didn't make him visible to you. I was out cold when that happened.«

»Then … how?« Diego gasped. His head hurt from all of this. 

»I don't know. Ask Benjamin Franklin over there. What? Oh … Sausages. Right. No - I think I can’t make him visible. Oh … right. My bad.« His speech was all jumbled up and messy just like Klaus himself had always been - but different in a way that was a bit unnerving. It seemed as if they wouldn't get the full picture - as if Klaus was leading a conversation half in his mind and half out in the open for them to hear. He wondered if Klaus was even aware of that. »Let me tell you … he is way more bitchy in death.« 

The ringing of the doorbell that announced the arrival of their delivery man startled them all and pulled them back to reality. Klaus, however, almost jumped at the sound and his breathing started to quicken. 

»It's okay.« The reassurance came natural and without him even thinking about it. In retrospect, it felt a bit silly to him and yet, Klaus seemed thankful for it. He couldn't even begin to imagine what his brother felt right now. Everything seemed to frighten him all of the sudden and he couldn't blame him. Surely, his brother experienced a constant fear that his tormentor would come to get him soon.

Luther went to get the pizza and pay the delivery guy while the rest of them remained suddenly deadly silent. It felt almost as if all of them were trying to make as little noise as possible as to not alert anyone to their presence - as if Klaus’ fear of his former captor had taken all of them over as well. The spell was only broken by Luther’s swift return with the pizza boxes. After that, dinner went by quietly as no one particularly dared to ask Klaus about his time with Blackwood. Klaus ate like a bird, only picking at his pizza and always shooting nervous glances across the room as if he expected to be attacked any second now. Maybe he was afraid someone would come to slap the pizza out of his hand. Maybe Blackwood would have done that. 

»I wished we would have found you sooner.« Diego later muttered as he helped Klaus into his bed. His brother hardly did anything without being prompted to do so. He reacted only to prompts or orders otherwise he would just stand or sit there and act as if he wasn't there - hoping, maybe, that he would become invisible if he would stand still enough. »I wished … I’m sorry, Klaus … I should have done more.«

He didn't say anything first but then he rolled on his side and carefully extended a hand to Diego. »Can you stay?« 

»Sure.« He muttered even if he was a little dumbfounded. »Scoot over. I’m just switching off the lights.«

»No!« Klaus exclaimed and shot upwards. »N-No … No … Please … Let them on…«

He was so startled by his brother’s vehemence that he needed a second to wrap his head around it. Then he remembered the brightly lit cell and assumed that his cell had been always lit so brightly like in the night they found him. Fuck … That poor bastard. Then again, Klaus had always had a problem with darkness. On the contrary, Diego could only sleep in complete darkness. 

»Okay.« He replied softly now and just brushed off his boots before climbing into Klaus’ bed next to him, mindful of his own damaged wrist. He rested on his back and Klaus stayed on his side. There were only a few centimeters between them now and a part of him wanted to bridge even those few centimeters to feel his brother next to him and to know that he was safe. Klaus, to his surprise, seemed to feel the same as he shyly took Diego’s hand and held onto it.

»Did Dad … did he try … was he…«

»Yeah.« Diego sighed deeply. »He was searching for you. He tried to find you. That night when you were taken … he even called the police and allowed the FBI in. Can you believe it? He tried everything he could to find you for a year but we never got a message or a note or anything. So … the police dropped the case after a year and you were declared dead - so to say. They said that it was highly unlikely that you would turn up alive again after a year. You would have resurfaced after 48 hours if that was the case. Back then, I was furious. I was … I hated those cops. Today those cops are my superiors and I get it now. It's hard … especially when you are the cop who has to tell some family this. It's the truth though, right? Everyone deserves the truth.« 

And yet, Diego wondered how much his father had really known, in the end. He should have known about Blackwood, right? Fuck … He probably had known. Beside him, Klaus closed his eyes against the light from the tiffany lamps and Diego knew that he had a long night ahead of him.

»Goodnight, Dee.« How long had he not heard this pet name? It wasn't the same coming from the others.

»Goodnight, Mousey.« 

※※※※※※※

_ He was sinking further and further towards the bottom of a lake like a stone. Twiners were curling around his arms and his legs, dragging him down deeper like hands. He wanted to fight. He needed to fight. He should fight. Instead, he allowed the plants to drag him deeper. Above him, he could only see water and the hint of the gleam of sunlight dancing on the surface - a promise of hope, of rescue. It was barely there and yet … almost tangible. He could almost feel it's warmth on his cold dead skin. No longer it was twiners pulling him down. No … they were hands. _

_ He didn't dare to look down. He knew what he would see anyway. Beneath him were only the cold grotesque grimaces of the dead that were trying to pull him further and further down into their horrible lair. Hell … didn't they know that Klaus couldn't die? He was running out of breath and the darkness around him that was swallowing him became stronger and harsher and colder and thicker. And yet, the golden glow of hope and warmth above him remained. _

※※※※※※※

»Holy Hell!« Diego bolted upright and then landed crashing on the ground. He had fallen asleep at some point despite the light inside the room. He didn't know what had woken him up at first - maybe the absence of a body next to him - but as he opened his eyes, he had been startled into wakefulness all at once. Above the bed, almost underneath the ceiling, was Klaus - levitating off his bed as if it meant nothing, as if he was floating in water with no effort at all.

Well, he had told them that he could do that. This was the fucking proof, right?

»What’s wrong?« As he looked over his shoulder, Five stood in the doorway, still completely dressed and looking as if he had not even slept. Maybe he had been drawn here by the sound of Diego falling heavily to the ground. »Holy Hell!« His brother repeated his sentiment as he too stared at their levitating brother. 

Slowly, and with a groan, Diego managed to get back to his feet and just stood there. Five hesitantly joined him. »So what do we do now?« Diego muttered. 

»What do you mean?«

»I mean … We can't let him sleep like this.« Diego argued silently. He didn't wish to wake Luther or Allison right now in the middle of the night. Vanya, whose room was right next door with Klaus’ bedroom sandwiched between her and Diego’s rooms, had left the house to go home hours ago. »What's when he wakes up and falls and hurts himself? Should we … wake him? Or … should we try pulling him back down?«

What were the rules concerning people for sleep-levitators? Did the same rules apply as for sleepwalkers? Would it be more dangerous to wake him up or to allow him to continue sleeping like this? He had been drugged out of his mind when they found him in this bunker. However, Diego assumed that this cell in the bunker had not been the cell Blackwood had usually kept him in. He had probably known that Diego would come to talk to him that day and he had moved Klaus out of his usual cell and got rid of every incriminating detail. So, what had his cell looked like originally? A mattress on the ground like in that bunker? Or did he have a bed? Had he been chained up? And if so, then why? Because Klaus would have been too dangerous otherwise or because he would levitate in his sleep and injure himself?

»Fascinating.« Five mumbled as if he had not even listened. Well, knowing Five, he probably hadn't been listening. It wouldn't be that much of a surprise here. Right now, his brother stared at his twin like Reginald would sometimes stare at him. To Reginald, they had been hardly more than frogs ready to be dissected. Five had learned a lot from the old man.

»Five!« He barked to get the time traveler’s attention at last. »Jesus Christ! What do we do?« 

»Pull him down!« 

»What? No! I can't!«

»Why?«

»Because!« The look Five gave him spoke volumes. He couldn't blame him. It was ridiculous. »Okay … Okay. Let's go about it this way: I’m taking his legs and you take his arms and we pull him down together, okay?«

»Sure.« 

Maybe Diego should have seen it coming that Klaus would lose control over his power the moment Diego and Five would pull at him and flop down on the mattress only to startle awake with a yelp. The result of that shock coming from their brother was that Five and he were catapulted across the room. Five managed to teleport himself into safety. Diego, on the other hand, smashed with his back into his brother’s closet. A hailstorm of academy uniform rained down on him and for a second everything went dark.

※※※※※※※

He had hurt Diego. Not badly, sure, but he had still hurt his brother - the same brother who had always been looking for him and never given up on him. In his defense, Diego and Five had startled him. He heard them - his siblings - mumble about him from the kitchen.

»He’s dangerous!« That was Allison. 

»No, he’s not!« Diego.

»He smashed you into a closet, Diego! He’s no longer your cute little brother you always protected when we were children!« Luther sounded furious. It was still late at night and his brother Luther was yelling at Diego with no restraint. Well, why would he? It wasn't like they needed to concern themselves with neighbors anyway, right? 

He walked over to one of the bookshelves at the side of the room. His siblings had parked him here in the living room while they talked. Outside it was still dark and the light coming from the various expensive Tiffany lamps across the parlor didn't serve much comfort for him. Even looking out the windows suddenly scared him. The world was such a wide and open space all of a sudden. He missed his little white room. He yearned for that feeling of safety of being locked in. Because being locked in meant also that everything bad was locked out, right? Except, of course, if the evil outside had a key. 

»They know that I didn't mean to hurt Diego, don't they?« He turned to Ben who was sitting on the armrest of the sofa closest to him. It was all just a blur what had happened after his siblings had startled him awake. He remembered the noise of Diego smashing into his closet and effectively destroying it. Under different circumstances, it would have been funny and he would have made jokes about it. It wasn’t funny, though when a gorilla like Luther was suddenly holding one down. It wasn’t funny either when his brother Diego had resurfaced with a nasty wound on the back of his head minutes later.

»I guess they know.« Ben shrugged. »Don't take it too personally. They are just wary.«

»What if he was brainwashed by that mad scientist guy?« Luther finally chimed up. »What if he manipulated Klaus so much that he would kill us now?« 

»Bullshit.« 

He shouldn't be surprised that his siblings would think something like this. After all, he had been in the clutches of a mad man for eighteen years - most of his life. And this house … This house was so familiar and yet it frightened him to no end. He felt like walking through a nightmare and could hardly explain why. Shouldn't he be glad to be back home at last? Shouldn't he be happy that he was home again? Safe? Reunited with his siblings?

He didn't even know if he _ was _ happy to be back home. He was _ something_. 

_ You are no longer chained to a bed. You are no longer locked in a room. No one is conducting experiments on you anymore. You are back where you started and with the people you love … That's something, isn't it? _

This tiny bit of self-talk didn't really do anything though. Yes, he knew all these things but his brain had a hard time really processing everything. Those people … he knew they were his siblings. But sometimes it was so hard to remember it - to embrace it. And yet he had felt safer at Diego’s side last night than he had at any given point in the past eighteen years. 

»Hey … stop beating yourself up.« Ben sighed.

»No … No, you don't get it.« Because when he had been locked in that room, he had always fantasized about what would happen if he would be free again or return to his family. He had daydreamed about reuniting with his brothers and sisters, being back home again, free at last and safe. It was not at all like he had envisioned it to be. Maybe it would never be like he had envisioned it. Maybe it would never be as is used to be again. He was not the same Klaus Hargreeves, after all. He was not the same twelve-year-old boy who had been taken in the middle of the night. He was a man now - at least if he could trust his reflection in the mirror. He was all grown up now and just as tall as Diego and Five. His brain had troubles catching up. 

He decided to tune out the noise of his siblings or Ben’s nagging. He was good at tuning things out. He was good at letting his mind wander or allowing himself to let it go completely blank. He had gone through entire days like this. Then again, most days had tended to blend together anyway, hadn't they?

Mesmerized by the freedom of the action, Klaus watched how the tips of his fingers brushed over the backs of the books on the shelf. His father had collected hundreds of books and although Klaus had never been much of a reader, he had missed the books in eighteen years of solitary-confinement with nothing but his thoughts to entertain him - or the ghosts that were screaming at him. And then, all by themselves, his fingers got caught on one of the books and he knew which one it was before his eyes had even enough time to catch up. 

His father had put Vanya’s book between all the others, probably without even reading it in the first place, as if it meant nothing to him. Well, it probably didn't. Klaus, however, plucked it from the shelf and walked over to his father’s favorite armchair.

»Klaus … Maybe you shouldn't-«

But he was already drowning his brother out again as he sat down and opened the book. On the first blank page, the bastard title, he found a message in his sister’s neat handwriting ‘Dad, I thought, why not? - V’. Not more than that and still this short message seemed to speak volumes. Klaus knew that Vanya had dedicated a chapter to every single one of her siblings and because he didn't care much about what Vanya might have thought about the others, he skipped to his own chapter right away.

※※※※※※※

_ My brother Klaus, Number Four - The Séance - was always the odd one out in a way. Sure, he was always part of the action, always in the middle of all the chaos and yet he managed to make everyone see that he was not, in fact, part of it all. To Luther and Allison, he was a nuisance at best. Sure, he shared a few things with Allison like painting their nails together or doing an impromptu fashion show but when it got to it, even Allison usually disregarded him and his opinion. _

_ Five no more than tolerated him. There was always something odd about their relationship - mainly because they didn't have one. In retrospect, although I believe that Five loved Klaus the same as all of us, he seemed to avoid having a relationship of any sorts with him. To Ben, he was a companion but even Ben tended to hang around Five and me more than he hung around Klaus. Looking back on it, Diego was the only one who was really close to him. _

_ To me … Well, to me he was an enigma wrapped in a riddle. I couldn't figure him out for the life of me. Looking back on Klaus, the boy I remembered him to be before he was kidnapped and taken from our home, he was a troublemaker. Even more so than Five or Diego. He was pure chaos sometimes. Chaos just for chaos’ sake. Klaus was loud and obnoxious, his mouth was always running. Today, I realize that he was only loud so that he wouldn't hear the ghosts. _

_ Back then I didn't understand it and I guess that none of us really understood it. _

_ I remember that Klaus was the last of my siblings to express his powers. He started talking to himself when he was four but it took us all another year until we understood that he was not, in fact, talking to himself. We thought that he was crazy when he talked about a man with an ax lodged in his head who was standing in the corner of our living room. We thought he was doing it for the attention when he screamed his lungs out at night. I remember that, when our father told us about his powers and that Klaus was able to communicate with the dead, I thought that he would be better off with just being crazy. After all, there were pills for crazy people, right? As a five-year-old, I couldn't understand the magnitude of his powers yet but still, I thought that being crazy would be easier for him in the long run. _

_ My brother Klaus was always thinner and smaller than the rest of us. He was weaker of constitution and health, always flimsy like a leaf on a dying tree. I remember to this day that I always felt uncomfortable around him. The air shifted when he entered a room. Maybe that was why he directed so much anger towards himself. I believe my siblings felt the same way. There was something eerie and unsettling about him ever since we were little - like a huge shadow following him around at all times. Maybe death itself. _

_ Today, as an adult, I believe that this was exactly what it was. Death or … the dead following him around like a stormcloud. Every room he would step in dropped in temperature severely and Klaus himself was always ice-cold. I don't mean his demeanor but his body itself. I hated touching him. I hated when he would touch me. I tried avoiding getting close to him whenever I could and I was so glad that my seat was usually far away from him so that we would not accidentally brush hands when passing the peas at the dinner table. And then there was this smell. It was not Klaus who smelled bad - not at all. Klaus took always great care of himself. Of the seven of us, Klaus had always needed the most time in the bathroom. There was this smell lingering in the air when he would be in a room. It was sweet and heavy and disgusting. Today, I believe that it was the smell of death and decay of bodies rotting in the summer heat. _

_ His behavior though tried to betray all of this about him. Out of us seven, Klaus was always the kindest. There is no way around it. Sometimes I think that he fought the darkness within him, the death and the decay, the coldness, and apathy of death, by being especially cheerful and gentle. He was, as I said, always loud. Sometimes in a way to draw attention towards himself, but more often than not to cheer the rest of us up. Despite all what I said before, Klaus made it easy to be around him, easy to smile when he was around. He was gentle and sweet, always caring more for us than for himself as if he had already made peace with his own fate and whatever laid before him. Maybe he even knew that his life would end much too soon. _

_ For his entire life, Klaus stood with one foot in his own grave already and with the other in the world of the living. He was both dead and alive at the same time but very much unlike Schrodinger's cat not hidden in a box but out in plain sight. We could all see him and still didn't understand it. He was tethered to the world of the dead and terrified of nothing more than the ghosts that were always around him. _

_ Not that he would have ever talked about them, of course. He played it down when we would ask him. He would poke fun at his ability and his own trauma. Of the seven of us, I believe that he was the most broken, the most traumatized. _

_ He was dismissed by our father and siblings, placed as the lookout during missions and fed the lie that he was useless - a disappointment. I know what it feels like to be told you are useless but I don't think that my pain would match his. Unlike me, he had powers and was part of the team but his powers were everyone's worst nightmare and a greater tormentor than our father could ever be. His waking moments were filled with ghouls and monsters and in his sleep. He wouldn't find rest either and yet he was deemed useless by everyone else. _

_ It is no surprise that he turned to drugs and alcohol so soon. _

_ I remember Klaus directing our father's anger and fury towards himself when one of us did something wrong and was to be punished. And no matter what our father would do to him, he would just smile later and say that it was okay. Once I broke one of my father's antique ming vases on accident and I was terrified of his fury. Klaus, however, had seen it all play out and he walked straight up to our father and told him that he had done it. We were nine at the time and I didn't see my brother for two days afterward. Father told us that Klaus was going through his individual training and when he came back he looked even more like a corpse than before. Yet, he smiled and winked at me and never addressed the incident. _

_ He was the first of the other six who got his tattoo only so that he would be able to comfort the others after. I think none of us ever got to see the real Klaus, though. I think none of us ever got to understand him fully. He was good at deflecting from his own feelings. He was good at putting up a facade and play the fool for everyone around. In a way, Klaus wore his heart on his sleeve and always made sure that we would understand how much he loved us. Unlike Diego, who never had any sense of emotional control and was never able to hide his feelings, though, Klaus never gave us an inkling of how he truly felt deep inside. I believe now that behind all his bravado was only a scared and sad little boy who wanted to fit in and be loved. _

_ We never got to know what happened to him. We never even knew if he died. Our father declared him to be dead a year after his disappearance. The uncertainty is the worst part in this. Having a place to mourn someone you love is better than not knowing anything at all. I think Diego took it the hardest. Klaus was his only friend, after all. I believe that Klaus’ disappearance is the reason why Diego became a cop in the first place. _

_ To this day, I can't help but wonder what happened to Klaus and if he is still alive out there somewhere. I know that this is highly unlikely. The statistic says that victims of kidnapping usually die within the first 48 hours after their taking. That's what the police said back then. After 48 hours they are looking for a body. The thought scared me back then. My brother Klaus - a dead body. It didn't make sense then and it doesn't make sense now. I always thought that we were supposed to feel it if one of us would die. Like twins, perhaps. I always felt like there was a bond between us and that we would feel it when it would be severed. _

_ That was stupid, of course. There was no bond. Nothing tangible at least. There was nothing to be severed when Klaus vanished or Five or when Ben died. _

_ Everyone thinks that Klaus is dead. He probably is. So many years have passed and we never got any sign that he is still out there. When a family member vanishes, you start fantasizing about all kinds of horrible things. You start to hear people on the street murmur about what gruesome things might be happening to that person right at that moment. I always figured, after a while, after hearing all these rumors, that I rather wanted him to have died than experience all of these things. Sometimes death is better, I thought. _

_ The visions of my brother in so much pain and peril kept me up at night. Of my brothers, Klaus was always the weakest. He never was a fighter. He could throw a nasty punch, yes, but he would opt to run instead of fighting for the most part. Knowing that he was at someone’s mercy for so long was unbearable. _

_ We didn't give him the love he deserved and that he showed us every day. We didn't give him the understanding that he showed us. We never gave him any real comfort. And now we never will be able to. _

_ We were all born on the same day at the exact same time and yet, there was an unspoken hierarchy of sorts in our family dictated by our numbers, yes, but also by a sort of protective feeling. Even if we were the same age, to me, Klaus was always my little brother. _

**-End of Chapter 8-**


	9. Chapter 9

His childhood home was ornate and ancient, the air dry and musty. Each breath he took irritated his throat. Blackwood manor was the same. The only promise of momentary relief was stepping outside and yet Klaus found himself frozen and locked in place as he sat in the living room staring outside the large windows that led into the courtyard. From his position, he could see the statue Ben had told him about so long ago and the tree Luther used to climb. He wondered if Luther still did that. He, for certain, felt the desire to do so.

In fact, after reading Vanya’s book, he felt the desire to flee this house for good and couldn't quite explain why that was. Two days had passed since his little accident with Diego in his room. His brother had needed stitches but he was okay. Not that such a tiny head wound would stop Diego Hargreeves. 

The words Vanya had chosen about him had stung like poison ivy on his skin but he couldn't say that he was surprised. She could have been much crueler, he assumed. There was so much he had done to make her feel bad as a child and yet Vanya had not chosen to go for his throat. His chapter in her book had been short, just a few pages and various little childhood anecdotes about him and his weird behavior. She had focused on the good memories she had had of him - after all, he hadn't been able to defend himself. To the public, he was dead, after all. It could have been worse and still, he felt trapped in this house since he read it. 

»You can go outside if you want to. You know that right?« Five’s voice still held that same arrogant twinge that it had when they were children. In a way, Five was the most like he was back then. Perhaps it was because he had to grow up in the apocalypse all by himself. Like Klaus, his development seemed stunted in a weird way. Sure, the both of them had endured more than the others, seen more, experienced worse shit and had grown accordingly. 

If the seven of them would be trees, Luther and Allison would have grown the strongest and straightest without a flaw, thick stems, and rich green leaves. He could see a few knots and crooked parts in Diego and Vanya's stems. Ben’s had been cut off prematurely. He and Five, however, were old crooked willows with knobby stumps where branches should be. They were littered with scars, broken in places that would never be repaired. Because it was a lie, you see? Time does not heal every wound.

»Klaus?« Oh, he had gotten lost in his own head again. Ben could usually tell - like he did right now looking at him in concern from his spot near the window. It was a survival mechanism that he had learned early on during the experiments. Oh, he was doing it again.

»I know.« he muttered both in response to Five and Ben at the same time.

Five was hovering close by at the bar in the room, nursing a glass of whiskey and Klaus suddenly felt the very real urge to join him and take a sip himself. For once, Diego was nowhere to be found right now. Apparently, he went to work earlier today, probably to get more days off to hover around him some more. Not that he wouldn't like having his brother around him again. Or any of his siblings for that matter. However, after so long a time removed from them, it was suffocating. 

»You are afraid.« Five stated and as he looked at him, his brother pulled a second glass towards him and filled it up with amber liquid. It was a subtle, silent invitation for Klaus to join him. Klaus hesitated for a moment but then he slowly got up from his seat on the leather armchair and walked over to the bar where he climbed up on a barstool and grabbed the glass. He didn't give his brother an answer. He didn't need to. 

»It will get better.« His brother promised calmly. »You’ll see.«

»How can you be so sure?«

»I lived through it.« He shrugged. »Only the other way around, I guess. After arriving in the apocalypse … I lived there for over forty years, just me and Dolores.« The mannequin that was propped up on the bar looked at Klaus fondly. »And when the Handler found me and offered me a job, I had a hard time being inside, you know? I spent a little while at the headquarters where they trained me for my new job. The first few days were the worst. I couldn't stand being inside, being locked up, being surrounded by other people. I wanted to get out again, be alone again because I hadn't known anything else for the last forty years. The apocalypse was my prison and no matter how happy I was at first to finally see another living being, I started to despair outside of my cage. Blackwood Manor was your prison and it is only natural to feel the desire to be locked inside after you have known nothing else for eighteen years.«

»I tried to escape once.« Klaus muttered. »Not long after I first got there. One of the ghosts helped me. Blackwood showed me how to make the corporal and so I did when I knew that he was on a trip. I even managed to get out of the house and into the woods.«

»What happened?«

»One of the assistants, Miller, sent the dogs after me.« 

»That's unfortunate.« 

»Yeah … I tried running from them but then I fell down a slope and broke my leg. Blackwood was not happy when he returned.« It were the worst days of his life that had followed that little escape. 

»What did he do to you while you were there?«

»He trained me, for the most part. Compared to him, Dad was a saint, you know?«

»Did he hurt you?«

»Sometimes.« Klaus shrugged. »I learned to behave quickly. Mainly because I was terrified of him. When I misbehaved he beat me. When I didn't perform well, he starved me. When I showed resistance, he gave me electroshocks. It's all a blur now.« 

»At some point, you don't know anymore how much time really passed, right? It all gets confusing and warped.«

»Yeah.« He took a sip of the drink and the liquid burned hot in his throat. He had taken his first drink when he had been eleven years old and the memory of it was vague and intangible by now. He coughed like the first time he smoked a cigarette at age ten or later when he first smoked pot. 

Five didn't comment on it and just sipped his own drink. »I’m sorry that we didn't find you earlier.« 

»Not your fault.« Klaus mumbled. »I was pretty well hidden.«

»I guess that_ twin-thing _ is just a big old lie then.« Five scoffed. »I mean … you always hear that twins are able to feel the others pain or some crazy shit like this, right? Shouldn't I have been able to feel anything then? Especially considering the way we were born. I always thought that there should be some sort of otherworldly bond between all of us, right?« 

»I didn't know you were such a romantic.« He smirked and took another sip. »_Otherworldly bond. _ The only otherworldly bond I experience is with the fucking ghosts that swarm around my head like flies all the time. You said it yourself, Five-y. We don't even know if it means anything that we came out of the same woman, right? It's not like she was pregnant with us anyway.« 

»Guess you’re right, ghost boy.« Five emptied his drink at that and got off his barstool. »Anyway, sorry for killing you back then. Nothing personal. You should go outside and enjoy the day. The weather is nice and even Diego will probably agree and not get a heart attack when you are in the yard, right?« 

He was already at the door as Klaus found his voice once more. »Hey, Five … Did you read Vanya’s book?«

His brother hesitated for a second before he shrugged his lean shoulders. »Sure. It was in the one library that was still standing. I thought it was quite good, all things considered. Brave, even. To spill the family’s secrets like this. I thought she was a bit too soft on you, though. You were an annoying bastard.« 

※※※※※※※

His boss was not at all happy when Diego asked him for a few more days of paid leave. He couldn't blame the man. His boss knew that he and his father had never been close and thus could not quite believe that Diego needed more time to grieve. He couldn't tell him either about the Klaus-situation. Too great was the risk that it would go public. Too great was the risk that his boss would want to question Klaus and suspend Diego for withholding information in a missing person’s case. He was already angry at his boss and the situation in and of itself as he came back home that day. On his way to the academy, he had briefly stopped at his own apartment to grab a few more clothes for himself and Klaus.

Allison had reassured him that she would go buy a bunch of clothes in Klaus’ size from the shops while she was out trying to sort out a few things with her lawyer - still, Diego grabbed a few extra shirts for his brother. It was just what he felt needed to be done right now. Maybe he was a little bit of a control freak. He would not even try to dispute that. 

However, as he reached the academy, still angered by the events of the day and his boss’ lack of understanding for his situation, Diego only got angrier as he walked inside and found his siblings in the living room. All except Vanya and Klaus. 

»Where’s Klaus?« Of course, his first concern was his long lost brother. Maybe now even more so than before. His obsessive nature always seemed to get the best of him no matter what and his siblings seemed already sick and tired of it by now. 

»Outside in the courtyard.« He opened his mouth to say something but Five already silenced him as he raised his hand with a roll of his eyes. »Before you freak out: He’s with Mom, okay?«

He deflated at that - at least a little. »And where’s Vanya? We said three o’clock, didn't we? Where’s she at?« 

»I don't know.« Allison answered quickly. Before her, on the ugly coffee table, she had parked a few paper shopping bags which Diego could only assume held Klaus’ new wardrobe. »She said that she would come over right after rehearsals.« 

»Yeah, but rehearsals were over two hours ago!« Diego replied a bit sharper than strictly necessary. He could see a hint of Klaus through the large windows of the parlor that were leading into the courtyard. He didn't like the thought of him being out there even if Mom was around to keep an eye on him. 

Okay, yes. Maybe he did have a problem. He was not going to deny that any longer. 

»Relax.« Allison cooed. »She’ll be around soon enough. So what did you boys wanted to talk about?«

»The apocalypse.«

»Dad’s death.« 

Luther and Five spoke almost at the same time and both statements had Diego roll his eyes.

»Oh, I’m sorry if we are boring you, Number Two!« Five sneered at his display of annoyance. »Sure your little project out there is way more important than the fate of the entire world, how could I ever forget about it? I think your boss was probably thrilled to hear you need more time off too, right?«

»Shut your trap, Five.«

»No! You know what, Diego? I held still for long enough now! I looked at this shit for days now with you moping around and dragging us all into your quest of finding Klaus-«

»Oh, you would rather have him rot in this cell? A fine brother you are!« 

»That's not what I said.« Five snarled. »But all of this crap cost us viable time we could have needed to figure this shit out! A month is barely enough time to settle all of this and you know this! Especially when we have already wasted over a week!« 

»And how exactly do you want to settle all of this when you don't even have a single lead?«

»I still believe that it might have something to do with Dad’s death.« Luther interrupted. »And my mission to the moon. Dad sent me up there for a reason. My job was to look out for possible dangers and changes in the earth’s atmosphere so-«

»Luther, I swear to god, if I hear the word Moon coming out of your mouth one more time, I’ll rip your head off and sent it up there with a cannon!« Five barked. Well, that did the job of shutting Luther up. He felt almost a bit sorry for the big guy. Of all the siblings, Luther had felt the closest connection to their father. Unhealthily so, one might say. He had been dependent on the old man, depriving himself of friends and a life of his own only to be sent to the moon as thanks. Maybe out of all of them, Luther was the most messed up. He had lived only to gain his father’s approval and praise and now he would never get it.

»I’m just saying why would Dad die so shortly before the apocalypse? Isn’t this kind of suspicious?«

»He was a bitter old man, Luther, who died alone in a big house just like he deserved to.« Diego sneered. »His heart gave out. There is no mystery to solve there!«

»Maybe Klaus could help us.« Of course, Vanya would choose this very moment to show up in the room. As all the attention in the room suddenly shifted towards her as she was standing in the doorway, she visibly shrunk in on herself. »I mean … Sure, Dad died due to natural causes but if it helps you« She looked at Luther before taking up a staring contest with the floor again. »maybe Klaus could talk to Dad and ask him.«

»What?« Diego erupted. »No! Not a chance! Klaus is not your fucking telephone to the afterlife just because meathead over there doesn't get it that Dad was just a normal human being who died! And where have you been, huh? Rehearsals ended two hours ago!«

»I’m sorry I just-«

»Diego, get off her case, okay?« Allison came to her sister's defense. »She doesn't owe you an explanation! We said three! She can do whatever she wants in her free time, okay?«

»No!« Diego thundered back. »You know what? No, she can't! Not as long as Blackwood is still out there and possibly on the hunt for Klaus! She can't defend herself! Is it so much to ask that you guys just use your head for once? What if some of Blackwood’s lackeys would have captured her and held her hostage to have leverage on us to get Klaus back? This asshole tortured ou brother for years and this thought not once crossed your mind? Out there on her own, she is a liability to all of us! So no, she can't do whatever she wants in her free time! When Vanya says she comes home right after rehearsals than she better do it because I will not make a deal with Blackwood if it comes to it!« His siblings looked at him as if he was some psychopath but he didn't pay them any attention as he turned back to Vanya and found her looking even smaller and more scared than ever. »So, where the hell were you?«

»I … I just-«

»I can't hear you!«

»Diego! Enough of this!« Allison shouted.

»I had a date.« Vanya finally admitted in nothing more than a whisper. »Just a date.« 

»With whom?« 

»Five!«

»H-His name is … is Leonard.« The statement sounded more like a question. She didn't even dare to look at any of them now. Her shoulders were trembling. »He … He came to me for violin lessons … He’s not very good. He … He is a carpenter … Has his own shop … I’m sorry, I should have called.« 

»Yes, you fucking should!« Diego replied sharply and walked closer towards her, his own body towering over her. »And you should be more fucking careful! What if that guy is one of Blackwood’s men? Isn't it a weird coincidence that this Leonard-guy walks into your life after Klaus got freed from Blackwood? Really, Vanya! Don't be so naive!«

»Okay!« Allison was suddenly stepping between him and Vanya and pushed him back by his shoulders. He hadn't even noticed how she got up from the sofa in the first place. »That's _ enough_, Diego! You don't get to talk to Vanya like this! You are freaking out for no reason!« 

»I am just trying to protect everyone.« The words came out as a hiss and a part of him cringed at the sound of it. A part of him hated himself for saying these words, using this phrase, knowing that he sounded just like his father. A crazed lunatic who screamed at his sister and scared her. 

»No, you are being a bully.« Allison replied sharply.

It did not surprise him that Vanya whirled around and stormed out again after this. He had seen the tears in her eyes that she had been desperate to blink away as Allison took to protecting her. Fuck. Still, he wasn’t wrong, was he? Allison wasn’t wrong either, though. A bully. That’s who he was now. His obsession with Klaus and this case had gotten the better of him once more. Just like back in the day with Eudora. Of course, his siblings looked at him as if he was the devil as he turned to look at the rest of them. Well, except for Five. Five only looked annoyed and impatient.

»If that's settled then could we please return to the important topic at hand now?« 

»No, I should go and talk to Vanya.« Allison sighed and walked towards the doorway already.

»We don't have time for this! The world is going to end in three weeks!« Five hissed.

»What if it has something to do with Blackwood?« Diego then offered to his brother. »Maybe you should waste your energy on investigating him, Five. And when you find him, don't hesitate to make him suffer, okay?«

»And what are you going to do now?« Luther snarled.

»I’m looking how Klaus is doing. You know? Our _ brother _who was tortured for eighteen years? I’m dead in three weeks is what Five is telling me here and if that's the case I am not wasting the opportunity to take care of my brother instead of wasting it on the off chance of finding out who or what will cause the end of the world.«

»Off-chance?« Five bristled.

»You had over forty years and you have nothing, Five. Excuse me when I am not optimistic about solving the puzzle now within just three weeks.« 

He left his siblings with that and walked straight through the large glass doors into the courtyard to find Klaus and Mom instead. Even if it was only March, the sun had already power as it shone down onto the yard and filled it with light. The courtyard was not a pleasant place, to begin with. It was only sunny if the sun was standing at its zenith right above the house. The rest of the time it was dark and shadowy from the tall walls surrounding it, with dark windows staring like empty eyes. There weren't many plants around either. A few stone pots with roses or other decorative plants but that was it. Ben’s statue was watching over everything that would be going on out here and for the first time since Klaus was back at the house, Diego found himself wondering what Ben might think about this statue of his. Knowing Ben, he probably hated it. 

He found his mother standing near the old oak tree, dressed still in her nice black mourning dress and a coat against the sharp wind. It was still winter, after all, despite Spring already knocking at their door. 

»Mom?« He addressed her as he moved closer towards where she was standing and holding guard. »Where’s-«

»Oh, Diego dear.« His mother greeted him with a pleasant smile as she turned around. »Would you please tell your brother to come down again? It is not safe for him up there. He is not as light as he was as a child anymore.« 

»What?« His mother immediately read the confusion on his face as she pointed at the tree. Only then Diego really looked at the tree and, sure enough, there was Klaus, sitting on a tree branch as if it was normal. His heart stopped only for a second and it took all his composure not to freak out at the sight. Klaus was not a toddler. He was not a baby. He was a grown man and if he wanted to climb a tree, that was fine. That was what Diego repeated over and over in his head like a mantra in those few seconds that he stood there and stared at his brother. 

»Hey« He greeted Klaus as he finally walked over to the tree and stopped right underneath. »What are you doing up there?« 

»Nothing.« Klaus shrugged his shoulders and sounded very much like the boy he had once known. 

»Is there any particular reason why you climbed that tree?«

»No. Not really.« He shrugged again. »But Ben told me that I couldn't so, who’s laughing now, huh?« 

»Can you get back down then?«

»No.«

»Why not?«

»I don't know how.«

Great. He really wasn't in the mood for crap like this today. »Okay … Try getting down the way you climbed up?« 

»I’m afraid. What's if I slip? I don't want to break anything again.«

»I’ll catch you. Come on now, Dude! I don't have all day!« Apparently, talking to his brother the way he used to talk to him instead of the carefully crafted way he had perfected since finding him, worked much better because Klaus actually got moving. It was slow and clumsy and Diego had many moments where he wanted to jump in and help Klaus but in the end, his brother made it down the tree just fine. Before Diego could even do anything, Grace was rushing over to them to brush leaves and crumbs of dirt from Klaus’ clothes.

»Your sister bought you new clothes, Darling.« She informed Klaus then. »Why don't you take a look?« 

Klaus hesitated for a second but then he started to hurry inside as if he too knew that Grace’s interruption meant that she wanted to talk to Diego alone. Well, not that Diego wouldn't want to talk to his mother but right now he just was not in the greatest mood to be lectured. 

»You should give your brother a bit more space, Darling.« Grace smiled as she brushed her hand over his bicep. »I know … You missed him terribly but now that he is back he needs time to figure everything out, Diego.«

»I know.« He sighed. »I just can't help myself.«

»Maybe you should help your other siblings instead. I heard how you fought just now … You shouldn't be fighting, Darling. Your father just died. Nothing is more important than your family.« 

»I know.« He repeated again with another sigh, deflating under his mother's scrutiny. Maybe he had been a bit harsh to his sister. »You are right. Klaus is home and he is safe here and I don't need to hover so much.« 

Her smile became warmer as she closed her hand gently around his chin. »You have always been the one to look out for the others« She cooed. »Such a sweet boy.«

As his mother walked back inside, Diego just sat down for a second on a stone bench. He wished things would be easier. He wished he had some possibility of getting Blackwood behind bars but for that, he needed to build a case against him and by now he had probably got rid of everything incriminating. Not to mention that he would never be allowed to investigate properly. There was a reason why family members were not allowed to investigate the cases of their loved ones. 

Sure, he could drag Klaus to his boss and make Klaus tell everything but then it still wouldn't be enough in the court of law. It would be Klaus’ word against Blackwood’s and Blackwood was a well-known well-liked respected man. They, on the other hand, were just a bunch of circus freaks with questionable reputations and backstories. There was no winning in this. Not if he would go about it the right way.

※※※※※※※

The night reigned supreme over the Umbrella Academy and Diego still sat in the parlor downstairs with one of his father’s old journals in his lap. It was hard not to doze off in the dim light of the tiffany lamps and the crackling fire but worries about his job and his brother kept him sufficiently awake right now. 

He kept turning his mother's words over and over in his head and had to admit that she was right, of course. Now that Klaus was free Diego could not act like his new jailor and hover around him 24/7. He should continue his normal life, go to work, solve cases, protect other people. Or, at the very least, he should try to pursue Blackwood and get him behind bars - or help Five, if nothing less.

The end of the world was right around the corner and Diego spent every waking minute worrying about his brother. This was neither good nor healthy for both of them. He needed to get a bit of a distance between them again. Like a normal adult would. 

Then again, how was he going to solve the end of the world problem with no hints at all? Five only had this glass eyeball and apparently it had not been produced yet. So it might be too late anyway when it would be produced in this timeline. They had no clues. No hints. Nothing. Just the very real possibility that their own brother Klaus might be a ticking time bomb waiting to go off right underneath their roof. 

His ears perked up at the sound of quiet footsteps. There was only one person who walked so silently. Diego’s eyes shifted to the grandfather clock at the far wall. It was not particularly late, only half-past twelve, but his siblings had gone to their rooms a little while ago. Except for Vanya, of course. She hadn't come back to the academy. Unlike Diego, she rather spent the nights at her own place. He couldn't blame her. The only other insomniac, however, went straight to the bar.

»Should I worry about that new habit of yours?«

»You worry enough already about everything else.« Five shrugged as he walked around the bar to grab a bottle of scotch from one of the shelves. Diego watched patiently how his brother poured a generous amount of the amber liquid into a glass and then filled up a second one - for Diego, apparently. Without another word or comment, Five walked over to the fireplace where Diego was sitting in one of the worn-down leather armchairs. He sat down across from him and handed Diego the glass. He didn't protest and just accepted. They raised their glasses in a silent toast before both of them took a sip. 

He and Five had never been particularly close. In fact, Diego had mostly been a little annoyed by him as children. He had rubbed Diego the wrong way with his arrogance even as children. Five had always thought that he was better than the rest of them. Not to mention that Five had always started shit during their meal times and that had often meant that they had all gotten punished and sent out of the room without finishing their meals first. 

»You might have a point.« Diego sighed.

»What are you reading?«

»One of Dad’s journals.« He closed it with a thud before handing it to Five. »I thought maybe I could learn something more that might be of any help. If not for saving the world than perhaps for getting Blackwood behind bars. Some illicit experiment or something, I don't know.« 

»The world is ending in three weeks and you still focus on getting this one man behind bars? Diego, that won't matter anymore soon.«

»I know.« He sighed. »I know. It's just-«

»It's something to do.« Five hummed. »I get it. You can't change much about the way Klaus behaves right now or about the end of the world but you might be able to do something about Blackwood as a cop. I get it. I mean, geez, I spent the last hours observing that scientist form MeriTech, after all.«

»You did?«

»Yeah. I might have threatened him too, you know?«

»Why am I not surprised?« Diego huffed before tilting his glass in Five’s direction as if pointing a finger. »Of course, I didn't hear what you just told me, right? Otherwise, I would need to arrest you.« 

»Anyway.« Five sighed and sat down his half-empty glass on the table between them. Diego too sat down his glass after one more sip of the burning liquid. He wasn’t much of a drinker but sometimes he too enjoyed the comforting burn of the alcohol pouring down his throat. »There's nothing. He told me that sometimes he sells all kinds of prosthetics on the black market. Eyes are apparently always high in demand. So, he told me that this serial number won't get me anywhere. It could already have been sold on the black market without any records of it ever having been produced. So … dead end.« 

»Crap.« 

»Indeed.« Five rubbed a hand over his face. »It seems almost like the Handler was right. There is no way to stop it. What needs to happen will happen. Que Sera, Sera.« 

Before Diego could even begin to form a coherent question about what the hell Five was talking about now, a high pitched scream that sounded a lot like their sister echoed through the house. They both jumped from their seats immediately, their drinks on the small table between them forgotten and the journal falling to the floor. And then, before they knew what was going on, pandemonium broke loose. 

Out of nowhere, the parlor was filled with what Diego could only describe as phantoms. Ghosts. They were ghosts. Now that he had seen Ben’s ghost a few times, he knew that those grotesque, ghoulish blue shimmering specters were indeed ghosts. 

»What the hell?« Five jumped back as one ghost, a gentleman who was missing the right half of his entire head, was reaching out to touch him. And, as Diego brushed against a woman with a broken neck, he realized that they were indeed able to touch them. They were almost solid. Solid and able to reach out, to touch, to maim. Angry spirits flooding the parlor. 

»Klaus!« Diego directed at Five in a gasp. The ghosts around them seemed to be realizing that they could not only see them now but also that they were able to touch the two living beings in the room. And if they knew they could interact with the world of the living now that could only be dangerous.

»Shit!« Five howled as one ghost tried to rip at his arm and made Five stumble back again before he grabbed Diego’s arm and teleported out of the parlor. The entire house seemed to be filled with ghosts as they teleported to the upper floor and started running into the direction of their bedrooms. 

By now, the entire house seemed to be shaking worse than during an earthquake and there was this same buzzing he had heard in the night they had found Klaus. It got louder and louder the closer they got to Klaus’ bedroom. 

»What is this?« They heard Allison yell as she stumbled out into the hallway. Her sleeping shirt was ripped at the shoulder as if someone had pulled at her arm. Now, however, she was pressing her hands to her ears as if the buzzing sound hurt her. And yes, as Diego almost reached Klaus’ door, it was almost deafening. He felt nauseous and his vision was blurring. He had a hard time walking forward and Luther, as he too came into the corridor with a cut on his cheek, seemed dizzy from the sound. 

Diego was the first to reach the door to Klaus’ room and as he barged inside, he found his brother once again levitating a few inches above his bed, surrounded by the same unearthly blue light that surrounded the ghosts. Ben was hovering beside him, keeping the other ghosts inside the room that were advancing towards Klaus at bay as best as he could. The buzzing sound was now so bad that Diego wanted to throw up. 

In fact, he felt as if he was stumbling against a wall. He needed to hold onto something. At least the ghosts in the room were not interested in any of them and only had eyes for Klaus now. He grabbed onto Klaus’ old desk to brace himself. It was Five who seemed to be the most unaffected as he barged into the room and teleported right onto Klaus’ bed. He pulled Klaus down onto the bed at his ankle but this time, Klaus did not just fall and wake up. His eyes remained closed for a moment until Five slapped his twin brother in the face without any mercy.

The reaction was instant. Klaus' eyes flew open, for a second filled with the same blue light that was surrounding him before a shockwave of pure energy knocked them all off their feet. Ths ghosts were gone just as suddenly as they had first appeared and the spell was broken as Klaus stared wide-eyed at his siblings in the room.

**-End of Chapter 9-**


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So double whammy this week! I will be (hopefully) on vacation for two weeks starting next monday - if the gods and Thomas fucking Cook wills it so. But don't fret, I have already written the next 3 chapters and can upload at least one during this time.

Turned out, their brother Klaus was even more of a loose cannon than they had ever known until now. The siblings were still on edge throughout the entire next day and none of them wanted to leave Klaus out of their sight after what he had done the last night. 

Sunlight was filtering in through the tall windows of the parlor as the sun fought her way across the sky. The smell of freshly baked cookies lingered in the air as he could hear his mother clean up in the kitchen. It should have been a nice morning by all means but after tonight … Well, they were all a bit on edge.

»I’m just saying, he could be dangerous - even to us.« Aware of the dirty looks he got from Diego, Luther squared his shoulders almost defensively. »Come on, Diego! I mean what more needs to happen? He made you fly across the room and injured you! You could have died! Had you hit your head any differently you could have died from it and you know that it's true.«

»It was my own fault for startling him.« Now didn't he sound just like someone in an abusive relationship? Then again it was the truth. He and Five had startled a traumatized and possibly unstable man, after all. Now, whenever he would find him levitating off his bed Diego knew to just put a few extra pillows down just in case. Still, he wouldn't leave his room whenever he would find him like this. He was just too afraid.

»He unleashed every hostile ghost in this house on us and made them tangible! They could have killed all of us! For Christ’s sake, Diego! He made this entire house shake like an earthquake!«

»I’m not saying that he is not dangerous, Luther.« Diego sighed at last and slumped down on the sofa only to bury his face in his hands. None of them had slept and his patience was wearing thin. »I _ know _he is.« He admitted quietly. For once he wished Vanya would be here. She was good at disarming the situation when her superpowered siblings would fight with each other but Diego had made sure to scare her off. 

»Listen« Allison chimed up and as Diego lifted his head again his sister was walking over to him and sat down at his side. Her hand was warm and comforting as she placed it on his shoulder. Five was the only one noticeably silent in all of this. He was standing with his back to the rest of them, staring out of one of the huge windows of the parlor. »All of this talk about Klaus being dangerous is pointless right now as long as we don't try to figure out how to change that.«

»What do you mean?« Luther asked.

»I mean that we don't know what Blackwood did to him. He tortured him and traumatized him, that much is clear. Our brother spent eighteen years as a prisoner locked in a cellar to be experimented upon. We don't know what happened to him. We don't know if Blackwood used drugs on him to keep him contained more than just this once. He might have given him something to either enhance his powers or to dull them if he got too dangerous.«

»What are you saying?« Oh, he didn't like where this was going already. His family was often of the opinion to shut each other down with all means necessary if one got out of control.

»I'm not saying anything.« Allison sighed and rubbed his shoulder once more. »But our brother is in pain, Diego. He is afraid and confused and he needs time to heal from this experience if he’s ever going to be able to. Our brother needs professional help to talk about his trauma. And he needs us to take care of him. Right now, he hardly sleeps and when he does he has nightmares. He doesn't eat right and can hardly be left to his own devices. He is not doing anything without anyone telling him to do something. While he is awake, he might be in control of his powers but that control snaps as soon as he falls asleep. I mean, he could have brought this entire house down last night and kill all of us just because he had a nightmare.« 

»So, what you are proposing is to drug our brother.« It was Five who said these words as he turned around to look at them. He seemed unfazed by the idea, almost as if he wouldn't care. He couldn't fool Diego, though. They called each other brothers and sisters but none of that was true. The only exceptions were Klaus and Five. If he would be in Five’s position now, with his own twin brother a living breathing time bomb, he wouldn't be as calm as Five made it look like. 

»I’m not completely opposed to the idea. We need to keep in mind, after all, that Klaus might be the one who will cause the apocalypse. We’ve seen what he can do even when he is asleep now. The real question we need to ask ourselves is what he might be capable of when he is _ not _asleep. We need to entertain the thought that Blackwood might have brainwashed him and made him into a weapon. We even need to consider that us finding Klaus had been planned by Blackwood.«

»What gain would he have from the end of the world?«

»None, of course. But his plan might have been to have Klaus just kill us and then have a weapon with that much power at his disposal. Allowing us to live would have always meant a risk of Klaus remembering who he truly is, perhaps even going against Blackwood then. With us out of the picture, Klaus would have had no one else but him left.«

»We need to be careful.« Luther agreed. »There is … Dad built a cell underneath the house once. I found it after you all left. It's out of iron and soundproof.« 

»No! Come on you guys! It's Klaus we are talking about! Our little brother! We are not going to lock him up or drug him like some animal just because there could be the possibility of him bringing about the end of the world!« Well, putting it like this, his siblings might have a point. Geez, it seemed so unreal talking about the end of the world and that Klaus might be the one to bring about the end times felt just wrong. »I mean when you went to the future. You said you found all of us except Vanya, Ben, and Klaus. Wouldn't he have been where you found all of us then?« 

»Don't get me wrong, I think locking him up would be the wrong move as well.« Five shrugged. »But I am going to say that we need to be prepared to do what is necessary if this bomb explodes.«

»Are you talking about killing our brother? Your own twin?« Even Luther sounded scandalized now.

»Whatever it takes.« Five repeated. »And if it is Klaus’ life in exchange for 7 Billion other lives, then I think the decision is easy.« 

»You’re sick.« Diego got up from the sofa again. »All of you.«

»Woah, woah, woah!« Allison jumped up too, holding out her hands placatingly in an effort of calming the situation before anyone would have a knife stuck in them. »It's enough now. Before it ever comes to killing our brother or locking him up or drugging him I will rumor him.«

»You can do that?« Luther asked.

»I’ve never tried to take away someone’s powers if you mean that but … if it comes to this I could try. At least I could … I could rumor him into a coma or something … anything.« 

It was better than death, of course, but Diego still hated the idea. He took another step back from his siblings before turning around and walking towards the doors. 

»Where are you going?« 

»While you plan the murder of our brother, allow me to actually spend time with him and try to figure this shit out without causing him even more harm.« He snarked back at his siblings before leaving them behind to scheme. Last time he had seen his brother he had been in the kitchen with Grace, baking cookies. As long as he had something to do he seemed content and calm. When he ventured down to the kitchen he could hear laughter from his mother and Klaus and the sound of the small rabbit ear TV that his mother kept in the kitchen. He found them both sitting at the table with the TV in front of them. A cartoon was playing and Klaus seemed mesmerized by it. The kitchen was already filled with the heavenly scent of freshly baked cookies.

»Oh, Diego dear!« His mother greeted him. »Right on time, Darling! Would you like a cookie? Our Klaus here is quite the baker!« 

※※※※※※※

He spent most of his afternoon with Diego and Ben in front of the TV, watching cartoons. It was fun, actually, spending time with Diego and Ben. And although one of those two was dead, it was almost like in the old times. Sure, his father had never allowed them to watch much TV but he remembered sneaking into the kitchen when they were little early on a Saturday or Sunday morning to watch cartoons on Grace’s little rabbit ear TV in the kitchen. 

Diego left him in the living room after a while so that Klaus could take a little nap after Luther called him into their father’s office all of a sudden. The only supervision he had for that moment was Ben. It was the first time that Klaus was being left alone it felt like. As he lay on the sofa he was tired but he wasn't able to find sleep. 

Even days after returning home, the sounds of the house that had been so familiar once seemed now alien to him. He missed the constant buzzing of the neon lamp above his head in his tiny cell. And the silence. He missed the silence. The house - his family - was too loud sometimes. He even missed Blackwood. He missed being told what to do. He missed the training. He missed the tests. And wasn’t that just so messed up in and of itself?

»Where are you going?« Ben chimed up from his spot on one of the leather armchairs as Klaus got back to his feet, agitated to get his energy out.

»I can’t sleep.«

»You didn't even try.«

»Would you stop mothering me, Benny? I’m going to find the others. See what they have to discuss without me again.« The truth was, he was growing a bit sick and tired that he was always left out of everything that his siblings had to discuss lately. Suddenly, despite being back after all this time, he wasn't part of the team anymore. »Maybe I can help.« 

He could almost taste the protest that Ben wanted to throw his way but his dead brother swallowed his comments instead and got up from his seat too as Klaus was already walking towards the sliding doors. After being always surrounded by someone in his family since he came back to the house, it felt odd, weird even to walk around the house by himself without supervision. It should be normal but it simply wasn’t. He almost felt like he was doing something wrong even.

Even walking up the stairs was strange to Klaus as he allowed his fingers to brush over the old wood of the banister. For a moment, his thoughts wandered back to the night he had been kidnapped. He remembered how he walked up these stairs, thinking he would find his father in the study or just a busted window. Instead, he had run straight into the arms of those thugs that Blackwood had hired back then. As he now silently crept towards the open office door, he could hear his siblings talking.

»Play it again!« That was Luther’s voice.

»Luther come on!« Allison groaned. She sounded annoyed by whatever was going on inside the room right now. Klaus, however, suddenly froze right where he was, overwhelmed with a sudden feeling of nausea that he couldn't quite explain. 

»No, it doesn't make any sense!«

»It was a heart attack!« Five sighed.

»It didn't look like one though! Look- there! Right there, pause! Does that look like a heart attack to you?«

Suddenly overwhelmed with panic, Klaus took a step back and walked straight through Ben in the process. 

»Hey! Rude!« The ghost huffed but Klaus was already hurrying back down the stairs. The tape. His siblings were watching the tape of the night their father had died. He didn't need to see it to know it. He didn't even know why he suddenly felt so afraid just because of this but he was. Before anyone could stop him, Klaus hurried through the reception hall and right out of the front door. 

※※※※※※※

The video was gritty and hard to decipher. His father's bedroom was not completely dark as he had only just retired to bed and had prepared to continue reading for a little while under the light of the lamp on his bedside table. Until now, Diego had not even realized that his father had also had a camera installed in his own room, pointing directly at his own bed. 

»Dad must have started using the security system again.« Luther murmured with his eyes glued to the tiny TV that they had set up on their father's massive desk. »He was getting more and more paranoid. He thought people were out to get him. Play it again.« 

»We watched it enough times! It stays the same!« Allison shot back with a roll of her eyes. She was right, of course, but it still didn't make any sense what they were seeing on this tape. 

»Play it again!« 

»Luther come on!«

»No, it doesn't make any sense!«

»It was a heart attack!« Instead of arguing, Diego rewound the tape once more. Because, for once, he had to agree with his brother. It didn't make any sense and what they were seeing on that tape was not their father having a simple heart attack - no matter what the coroner had stated in his report. The tape played again silently. 

They watched their father getting into his bed and grabbing his book from the nightstand before something, a noise probably, made him turn his head towards the door to his room that was in plain sight of the camera. A few seconds went by and just as Reginald wanted to settle back against the headboard, he flinched again in surprise. Their father put his book aside, pushed the blanket off and got back to his feet. 

He took only a few steps towards the closed bedroom door before whirling around to face the room. They could see his face in the view of the camera quite clearly now. First, he looked confused before his lips started moving. He was saying something that neither one of them could clearly make out. It was not much either - one word, perhaps two - before his face suddenly and violently contorted into a grimace of pure horror and anguish. He clutched his chest in pain and then dropped to the floor dead. 

»It didn't look like one though! Look- there! Right there, pause! Does that look like a heart attack to you?«

It didn't. That was the whole problem in all of this. It wasn't a heart attack. Not really. Whatever had happened had only led to their father’s heart-stopping. »He looks like he has been scared to death by something.«

»As if he has seen something that the camera didn't pick up on.« Five murmured and Diego already knew what he was thinking. »Where’s Klaus?«

»Taking a nap downstairs.« He squared his shoulders defensively out of pure instinct at this simple question. »Why?«

»Because I think he needs to see this too.« The look Five gave him was one of challenge. »After all, Reggie was his father too, right? Shouldn't he know what happened?«

»Shouldn't Vanya know what happened?« 

»Oh absolutely, but you decided to be a complete dick to her.«

»Boys!« Allison sighed. »Boys, enough of this, okay? Enough. Clearly something weird happened to Dad. And I agree with Five, Klaus should see this - and Vanya too. I’m gonna head out and try to talk to her.« 

He could only grind his teeth now. There was nothing he could do about his siblings showing Klaus this video and he knew it. He wouldn't be able to stop them and maybe he shouldn't even try that either. Klaus deserved to know and he was a grown-ass man. He was an adult and Diego could not always baby him. 

»Okay. I go get him.« He finally gave in and threw up his hands in defeat. He couldn't stand being in this room for even a second longer now anyway. The tape they had watched played over and over and over in his head as he walked into the hallway and made his way towards the staircase. He took his time walking down to the living room and when he reached it, he found it empty, no Klaus on the sofa, the blanket discarded. No reason to freak out, of course. Not yet, at least. He was probably somewhere else in the house. 

»Where’s he gone?« Luther was behind him as he still stood there watching. Apparently, his brother had followed him without Diego even realizing it and that had to say something for how heavy Luther’s footsteps usually were.

»Probably in the kitchen or his room or something.« Diego mumbled but he knew already that something was wrong. 

»Has someone left the door open?« Allison chimed in from the reception hall, forcing both her brothers to meet her there again. On his way to the living room, he hadn't even noticed that the front door was ajar. Fuck.

The later it got, the dumber he felt as he was roaming through the streets of the city in his car. Of course, it helped that he could check in on his colleagues and ask them to keep an eye out for a ‘possible suspect’ without telling them who he was actually looking for. He couldn't tell his colleagues or his boss that he had gotten his brother back, after all. There would be questions if he would. Questions that he was not yet willing or able to answer. 

Allison had checked in with Vanya and asked her about Klaus but their sister hadn't seen him, apparently. So it was on the rest of them to search for their once again missing sibling. He should have known not to leave him unsupervised! Klaus could be everywhere now and although the rest of his family was looking for him as well, Diego had only little hope that they would find him. Then again, he didn't have any money on him and at least no means to escape from the city. His first and biggest fear was that his brother was trying to get back to Blackwood. So he had sent Luther to drive out there to see if he could find Klaus along the way. Allison was checking on public places with Five, and Diego was tasked with driving around.

It was already dark out as Diego pulled over at last and grabbed his police radio. »Ramirez.« He radioed his colleague on patrol. »Still there?«

»Yeah« Ramirez replied with the familiar crinkle. 

»Have you heard anything?«

»Not yet, no. Bill says you could try downtown - the nightclubs and shit.« 

»Good call, I’ll do that.« 

»Hey, Hargreeves - what's so important about that dude?« 

»Talk to you later.«

»Yeah, sure whatever.« 

Sometimes he envied his colleagues.- Some of them had developed really tight friendships over the years with their partners and the others in the precinct. Only Diego was always the odd one out it seemed. He never quite fit in. He could never quite insert himself in small talk or anything of that nature. Maybe it was his own fault too. He didn't like to talk about his private life with those people because every time as soon as it would come out who he was he would get bombarded with questions about the past and that he didn't like one bit.

The nightclubs. Well, maybe Ramirez had a point. Klaus had been locked up for eighteen years. He had always been a wild child. He probably wanted to do the things he hadn't been able to do as a teenager. As he thought back at his brother how he remembered him to be, he could envision his brother Klaus to sneak out at night with thirteen or fourteen to go party. Yes, that was probably what he had done and now that he finally came to the conclusion, he knew exactly where to look for his brother as well.

※※※※※※※

The music was loud, the lights colorful and flickering, the air hot, and the people so nice and kind and gorgeous. Three guys had already bought him something to drink and the alcohol had burned comfortably in his throat before settling in his stomach and filling him with warmth and a nice tingle in his limbs. The people inside the club were like butterflies dancing around a flower. 

He dove right into the party after he emptied his new glass of … something. He didn't know if it was the alcohol in his system or just the novelty of all of this but everything suddenly seemed so much more intense and loud and exciting. He felt the incessant need to touch and be touched, the need for skin on skin contact while he danced. He was drowning in the mass of all those lost souls around him and for once he was free and alive and burning up with energy. He was a butterfly circling around a rosebush with hundreds and hundreds of other butterflies. At last, he was free.

It was odd just how connected he felt to those strangers in this club as he was dancing among them. No judgment, no snide comments about how useless he was or that he was wasting his time and his potential. Just so many other people trying to forget their pain and their troubles and their stress and he loved them all - wanted to be loved by them all.

Most of the day after he had escaped home, he had spent wandering around aimlessly. He went to the doughnut shop first, the same one he had visited with his siblings as children. There was still the same waitress working there. Without money, he hadn't been able to sit down and eat anything, of course. After a while, he had wandered to the arcade that he had never been allowed to go to. He had walked around the machines and watched other people play until a young girl, probably in her late teens, had asked him to play some weird dancing game with her. She had paid and Klaus had lost against her but it was the most fun he had had in the last eighteen years. 

As it had gotten late and dark out he and the girl, Mandy, had left the arcade. For a second, he thought to go back home but he knew that, by now, his siblings had realized that he was gone. They were probably looking for him. So, instead of going home and facing the music, he had started walking again, suddenly remembering this one nightclub he had seen as a preteen. It was not that big of a deal, really, nothing too special. But he had remembered it to this day. They had come across this nightclub after a mission as it had been opened for the first time. He remembered the Flamingos they put in the front and the loud neon signs all over. 

To this day, the nightclub still looked the same and, as he was dancing among all those other people, he remembered telling Diego that he would come here to party one day. Of course, back then he hadn't realized that it was a gay club and he wouldn't have cared either way. Now, he was just dancing the night away, trying to forget about the possible consequences and the fallout of his behavior. 

And then, as the clock chimed midnight, he was CInderella and, just a few feet away, stood his brother Diego with a scowl on his face - Lady Tremaine incarnate. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Diego seemed completely unfazed by the strangers around him, dancing and having a good time. He just stood there like a rock in a stormy sea and Klaus suddenly felt very much like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. As his brother started up walking again and came towards him, he wanted to run off and hide somewhere. It was his natural instinct kicking in. His gut telling him of imminent danger after eighteen years of punishments for bad behavior. 

However, there was no punch coming his way, no kick, no slap, no electroshock, no needle in his neck. Nothing. Just his brother, scowling at him as he stopped right in front of him. Diego was the last person he would ever expect in such a location. Sure, he was only here because of Klaus, but he stuck out like a sore thumb in his black clothes and his leather boots. The badge that was attached to his belt answered how he got past the bouncer in such an outfit, to begin with. The entire situation only got worse and perhaps even more absurd, as Voulez-Vous from ABBA started playing. The Diego he had once known would have gagged just hearing about ABBA and most definitely would have dragged him out of the club. This Diego right here, however, started dancing to Klaus’ surprise and horror. 

A high-pitched little laugh escaped him without his consent at this - a sound he barely recognized as his own. It was Diego who pulled him by the hand to dance with him and he didn't care about the weirdness of it all one bit. 

»How do you know this dance?« Klaus laughed over the music as his brother made a point of pulling Klaus’ right hand over their heads and made him spin. 

»My ex-girlfriend forced me to watch Mamma Mia on repeat!« Diego replied weirdly good-natured for the stupidity of the situation. Never in his life would he have expected to spend a night dancing with his brother Diego to ABBA songs. Maybe as a kid, he would have seen something like this actually happening. He remembered their impromptu dance parties whenever Dad hadn't been home. In fact, those memories were the only thing keeping him sane all those years. 

They were sitting outside on a bench near Diego’s car a little while later. The buzz from the alcohol made it harder to focus on his surroundings. He wasn't used to alcohol, after all. Sometimes, Klaus tried to imagine what his life might look like if he had never been taken from his home. It was impossible to say if he would have ever managed to master his powers under Reginald’s strict care. 

In a way, he was thankful for Blackwood’s torture. His father's methods hadn't shown any sign of success on him so it wasn't very likely that he would have managed to get the hang of it under his care. And then what? He had learned early that weed and alcohol had helped make the ghosts go away. Would he have turned to something stronger than that eventually? Would he have … fucked his life up completely? Would he have become a junkie because his fear of his powers had been just too great to cope otherwise? Or would he have eventually ended it all? It was impossible to know. 

Right now, however, he felt blissfully exhausted, with sweat clinging to his skin and making him shiver in the cold wind of this night in the middle of March.

»I have to admit that was fun.« Diego sighed as he leaned back against the bench. »I don't know when I last got to dance. All I do is work and train these days.« 

»A shame that you only danced with me, though.« Klaus shrugged, deciding to humor his brother a bit. He had enjoyed dancing with Diego. His brother was strong and handsome and he had pulled and shoved him across the dancefloor with ease. Klaus had always been a sucker for big guys and he had always been a sucker for Diego. His puppy love crush on his brother had seemed to be a thing of the past until now but as they sat there, he could already feel it scratching at the surface of his consciousness again. »There were quite a few guys who were into you.«

»I think they were just jealous because I got to dance with the prettiest gal around.« Diego mocked with a wink and Klaus responded out of habit with a gentle slap to his brother’s firm bicep. As silence settled over them again for a few moments, Klaus allowed himself to look up at the stars above them.

»I miss him sometimes. Blackwood.« He could feel Diego going rigid next to him and he just leaned against his brother’s side in response. »I even miss my cell and … and the experiments, the structure, everything. It's … I don't know. It's messed up and weird and I shouldn't be thinking like this but I do and I can’t really help it either.«

»It's okay.« Diego hummed and he kept his voice soft despite the anger that was probably brewing inside him now. »It's not your fault. You spend eighteen years there. It's … it's normal to feel like you do. You spend more time with Blackwood than with us. Did you … sometimes think about us?«

»All the time.« As Diego relaxed next to him again, Klaus allowed his head to drop on his brother’s shoulder. They were children again. Just two boys sitting together and watching the stars as if nothing had happened. In his fantasy, he had never gone to his father's office that night. In his fantasy, his family had returned home, he had hugged Diego and Ben and then Diego had told him all about their trip. »The memories of home were the only things keeping me somewhat sane, I guess. He tried to manipulate me, tried to pit me against you guys.« 

»Did he succeed?«

»No.« Klaus huffed. »He didn't say the right things, you know? It's like … he tried to make me be mad at you guys in bringing up all kinds of things he read in Dad’s journals but … he didn't know the context, right? He only got half the picture because Dad didn't think it was necessary to write every detail down about our interactions and relationships. I think Dad himself didn't understand it either. Dad didn't get how we could attack each other, scream and yell and insult each other but then go right back to being a family again. He didn't understand the bond we all shared and neither did Blackwood. He tried using Luther against me for the most part because we had the most recorded incidents where he bullied me. He never understood that we still loved each other though. And the things he tried to use against me to make me mad, had the opposite effect because I knew the entire story behind those events and he didn't. All those stories he unpacked made me only realize that I wanted to come back home.« 

»Idiot.« Diego chuckled. 

»He noticed that violence worked better anyway.« His brother put his arm around him and he was warm against Klaus’ side. »Whenever I wouldn't obey a command he would beat me or shock me. The worst was the light, though.«

»What do you mean?«

»There was … there was this one room. He put me in there when I misbehaved sometimes. He didn't like to use it on me. He said my powers were too unstable to risk it. But when he got really mad he put me in there. It was a small room … the walls and ceiling and floor were metal and it was always cold like in a freezer. But the lights were the worst. They were bright and they would flash and flicker like … like strobes. Being in there made me nauseous and dizzy and disoriented. It fucked with my head, made me hallucinate. The last time he put me in there he later told me that I had a mild stroke and he had to get me out after just two minutes of this.« 

»I’m gonna kill him.« Diego growled and he could feel his anger radiating from him. Just sitting here with his brother was enough for Klaus though. He had thought about taking his revenge on Blackwood but right now he didn't know if he wanted that. In a warped sense of the word, Blackwood had been a father to him and a mentor. He had caused him pain and fear but he had been the only constant in his life for eighteen years. He couldn't even say that he hated the man. Right now that didn't seem important anyway. In Diego’s arms, he felt safe. Perhaps it was that what finally made him open his mouth again.

»Dee?« He asked after a moment. »Dee … I think I killed Dad.« 

**-End of Chapter 10-**


	11. Chapter 11

It was like a bomb had gone off._ I think I killed Dad. _ Five words. It didn't take more than five words to send Diego’s world spiraling out of control. The night seemed colder now as he had his brother’s head resting on his shoulder. He hadn't moved an inch since Klaus’ confession and while the words still tried to sink in, already his brain was coming up with excuses. No way Klaus really meant what he had said. He was drunk and confused. 

»Tell me about it.« He found himself whisper after a while and listened to the strangled sob coming from his brother’s throat in return. His mind was racing, his heart a steam-hammer in his chest. He didn't want to hear anything else.

»I … I don't remember.« Klaus murmured before he forced himself to continue. »I thought it was a dream. I heard you guys talking earlier … about the tape. And then I remembered the dream I had. Now I know that Blackwood made me do it.«

»Take a breath.« Diego instructed calmly. »Deep and steady. Remember how Luther showed you? When we were little?« And Klaus did take a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. »Good. Now tell me. What did Blackwood do?« 

»He - Blackwood - decided early on that I was probably able to leave my body … like … astral projection or something. It's how I managed to communicate with you at the funeral too. That day I … I thought that I wouldn't be able to go as far away but I did and then, when I heard you guys talking I remembered that night when Blackwood took me into the lab again.« Klaus shrugged and sat up straight again, his eyes staring blankly ahead at Diego's wretched old car. 

»He had experimented on me with all kinds of drugs to help me enhance my powers. I was too slow for his liking. That night he drugged me again and I … I barely remember it. It's all so … jumbled up in here.« He pointed sharply at his own head and Diego found himself reaching out and ruffling his curls in response. 

»I remember being in the house. Remember walking through the halls but I wasn't really there. Like at the funeral. My body wasn't there. I remember thinking that I was just a ghost now and I was … so angry. I wanted to find Dad and tell him all about it and when I found him in his bedroom … I … I think he saw me.«

»It looked like he saw something on the tape, yes. He was scared of something and he said something. And then he died. The coroner said it was a heart attack.«

»No … No, it's wasn't.« Klaus whispered. »When I saw him … I was so angry. Angry because I thought that he must've known where I was. Angry because he never came to get me. Angry because none of that would have ever happened if he had just taken me with you guys that day. And I … I reached out and I just … I just touched him. That was all. I just touched him and he fell to the floor and he was dead.« 

He could still see the video play out in front of him. His father had looked like he’d seen a ghost. Had he seen Klaus? Actually seen him? »It wasn't your fault.« He found himself whispering as he pulled Klaus in for a hug again. Just holding him in his arms was enough to ground him in reality right now. He mourned all the time he had lost with his brother, mourned the twelve-year-old boy, his best friend. that he had left behind on that fateful day but he had him back now and he would not let anything happen to him ever again. Even if it meant going against the rest of his siblings. 

»We need to tell the others though.« Klaus whispered. »I’m afraid.«

»No.« He decided quickly. »No, we don’t. They don't need to know.«

※※※※※※※

Blackwood Manor looked back at him like a mythical beast, like a dragon protecting their egg. The house was not deserted as he would have expected it to be. There were still cars parked in the front. Probably the assistants of the Professor. Blackwood’s own car was nowhere to be found. He had already sat here and waited for at least two hours until he finally saw movement. A man left the estate and hurried over to the parking lot. Minutes later, a car - a grey Nissan - pulled out of the parking space and into the road that led off the property. 

With no time to spare, Diego waited for just a few seconds until he started to follow the other car. His own car he had parked safely at the side of the road and ducked out of sight as the other car drove by. Years of police training and working for the force had taught him that really hiding in such a situation was uncalled for as most people in their day to day routine were far too inattentive to notice someone watching them anyway.

Following Blackwood’s lackey was easy enough. The man drove with all the obliviousness that Diego was used to from normal people - people that were not drilled to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings. Sometimes he looked back with fondness and gratitude on his upbringing, no matter how torturous it had been. No matter how awful. Their father had had a point in raising his children this way. And at least they would not be the ones getting eaten by the stronger people out there. Except Vanya, maybe.

They drove back into the city, Diego and Blackwood’s unassuming assistant. He followed him through the maze of streets and early afternoon traffic until they stopped in front of one not too shabby looking apartment complex in Soho. Certainly not a place that someone like Diego would ever be able to afford. He could barely pay rent in his own crappy flat in the bad part of town. He pulled into a parking spot at the side of the road in an instant and got out of his car to follow the man. However, just as he crossed the street, the man walked back out right away again and walked straight towards a payphone a bit further down the street. Odd.

Still, after a moment of hesitation, Diego walked down the street acting like nothing weird was going on as he maneuvered his body towards a newspaper stand right next to the phone. The ideal place to listen in just a bit. The man’s voice was quiet but he could very well make out certain shreds like ‘the kid’, ‘Mr. B.’ and ‘the girl’. Maybe he shouldn't be as impatient. Maybe he should wait more, watch this guy for a little bit longer until he would have gotten all the information he might need - or at least the kind of information that would actually be helpful to him now. Quite frankly, the shreds he had gotten now were a joke. Still, Diego had enough. Klaus’ confession burned hot in his mind even a few days later and so he walked straight up to the phone booth, opened the door just as the man said something about ‘Jenkins has her’ and ripped the guy out of the booth.

He didn't give the guy even the tiniest chance as he threw him against the nearest wall and slammed his fist into his face. The action was cathartic. It might be a bit overdramatic, a bit much and this guy might not even know anything but Diego didn't care. All his anger, his frustration and grief that had built up inside of him over the past days finally found an out.

»What the hell man?« The man yelled as Diego pressed his arm against his throat. »Who are you?«

»I want you to tell me exactly what you know about Blackwood and where I can find that bastard!« He sneered right in the other man’s face, certain that he looked much more like a rabid dog than a normal person. His mind was racing and his skin burning. This man was one of the people who had tortured his brother. He had him at his mercy, right at the tips of his fingers. Breaking this man’s neck would be easy. Ramming one of his knives down his throat would be even easier. 

»I don't know what you are talking about!« The man replied frantically. »Please, Sir! You have the wrong guy!«

»Who is Jenkins?« He tried a different approach and thrust the man against the wall. »Where is Blackwood? And don't even try lying to me, Asshole. I followed you all the way from this fuckhead’s house.«

»Who are you?«

»You know exactly who I am.« This time he did grab one of his knives and dragged the tip of it along the underside of his jaw. »And I want to know where the lunatic is that tortured my brother.« 

The man turned pale right away and there was no telling if it was about the knife at his throat or Diego’s words. At least he seemed willing to drop the act now and finally give up in the face of a very angry superpowered member of the Umbrella Academy. 

»I-I-I don't know where the Professor is!« The man finally caved in. Coward. »That's the truth, I swear! I don't know where he is! After you guys broke Number Four out he left right away! He feared that you would come back for him soon so he left - probably fled the country. At least that was what I have been told. He probably went to Mexico or Argentina! I don't know! We had a protocol for this kind of situation. We were to pretend as if everything is still going on as usual. We were to continue our research and our projects and wait for a message. There was none yet and I doubt that there will be one soon!«

»I don't believe you.« He growled. »Who is Jenkins? What girl were you talking about? What's going on?« 

Before he could press anything more from the man there was a firm hand landing on his shoulder and pulling him away from the man. He found himself handcuffed and pressed against the door of a car within just seconds. Under different circumstances, he would be proud of his colleagues. 

※※※※※※※

Some of his fondest memories were about spending time with his sister Allison in her room. He had started stealing her nail polishes and her clothes as soon as they had turned ten. He had only painted his toenails back then so that their father wouldn't see it - or Allison. However, Allison had soon found out that it wasn’t Vanya who had stolen her nail polish. She had yelled at him and demanded everything back and then, as he gave it all back and explained that he just wanted to be as pretty as the girls in the magazines, Allison had actually started to let him borrow her stuff from time to time. A little while later, they had sometimes sat together on her bed, doing their nails for each other. It was also Allison who had shown him how to use eyeliner and mascara.

»Aaaaand there she is!« Allison jeered. »Vanya with the wine!« It was actually their second bottle already since Allison and Klaus had arrived at Vanya’s small apartment. It had been Allison’s idea after all this turmoil two days ago. Maybe he shouldn't have just run off like this. At the very least Allison seemed to have realized that they couldn't just lock Klaus in all the time. He had just escaped one prison and since he was home he had almost felt like he had just exchanged one prison for another. His siblings still wouldn't leave him out of their sight but at least they allowed him to leave the house sometimes. 

Vanya actually laughed at Allison’s reaction and made quick work of opening the bottle to refill their glasses. Seeing her again after reading her book had been a little awkward at first but after the first glass of wine, it was all forgiven. Not that Klaus would have held a grudge against her in the first place. It was Vanya’s right to do whatever she wanted with the story of her childhood, after all, and she hadn’t been too cruel to him anyway. 

Mamma Mia was running on her old TV after Klaus had asked her to put it on and she had obliged with a smile. He had first seen the movie after Diego had rescued him but he had always loved the music. And now after what he had shared with Diego the other night in that club, he was even more fascinated by the movie. Not that he would tell his sisters that their knife wielding brother had danced to ABBA with him in a gay club like he was at home there. 

»And done!« Allison grinned then as she put the last coat of black nail polish on Klaus’ little toe. »Gorgeous.«

Vanya sat down on the sofa next to Klaus and took a sip from her glass. She had never been one to join Allison and Klaus for those little bonding sessions. She wasn’t the girly type. Klaus however sure was and he was slowly finding back to himself now as he was spending time around all his siblings. 

»So about Leonard…« Allison started and he could feel Vanya tense next to him. Apparently, Allison had caught Leonard earlier today creeping around Vanya’s apartment. »You sure he didn't steal anything?«

»Leonard wouldn't. I mean … I can't even imagine.« Vanya stuttered, a faint coat of red on her cheeks. It was cute how flustered she would sometimes get.

»Uh … I get it. I don't wanna believe it either, but why would he tell you he's going to work, and then he’s letting himself into your place?«

»To use the bathroom, like he said?«

»Or to creep around.« Allison sighed. A part of him wondered how things might have turned out if he had stayed home. Would Allison have been just as protective over him as she was now over Vanya? Would she have bitten the head off of every possible suitor of his? Diego sure would have and Luther probably too. 

»He wouldn't.«

»Rifle through your stuff? Maybe steal something? I mean-«

»Jerk off on your Mr. Snuggles teddy bear?« Allison laughed at Klaus’ comment and even Vanya gave a chuckle and then a scandalized:

»No! No, stop!«

»Look, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but sometimes men are unredeemable shits.« Allison sighed.

»Amen, Sister.«

»Well, maybe … but I like this one.« Vanya muttered and there was a genuine little smile on her face. He couldn't remember seeing her smile much as a child. What a shame. She had a gorgeous smile. »I know it's weird ‘cause we only knew each other for a few days, but … Leonard felt real. Like he saw something in me no one else did.«

»I know the feeling.« Klaus sighed and allowed himself to slump back into the sofa cushions and put his arm around Vanya’s narrow shoulders. God she was so tiny! »Experienced it last when we were children … thought I would never experience it again.« 

He was aware of the way his sisters both looked at him as if they could read his mind. He wondered if they had both been more perceptive than they had let on all this time. It was Allison who gently nudged his shoulder then. »Diego?« She smirked.

»Was it that obvious?« He chuckled.

»Well … I’m the last person so speak for everyone« Vanya mumbled quietly. »But you two were always so close and … after you were gone, he … he changed completely.«

»He broke.« Allison agreed. »Something inside of him broke. I mean … We were all horrified by it, we were all grieving and afraid and missed you and just wanted you to come back home safely. But Diego … That was something else. Diego just changed into a whole different person.«

»His heart was broken. You were his best friend.« Vanya sighed quietly just as Sam and Donna had their dramatic talk on their way to the chapel. »It was traumatic for all of us but it hit Diego the hardest. He stopped talking for two entire months after Dad yelled at him for his stutter. He couldn't get one sentence out without stuttering. It was awful. He missed you so much. I think … he helped you in a way that we couldn't because he always got you, always understood you better than we did. And you did the same for him. He was more confident when you were around. You were his rock.« 

Klaus took another sip from his wine and allowed his head to fall on Vanya’s shoulder. »Aren't we just messed up?« He whispered quietly but Allison ruffled his curls gently. »Dad fucked us all up so badly. And Blackwood … I don't know. I’m not sure where I stand at the moment or where I wanna go, what I wanna do.« 

»No more than the rest of us.« She chuckled. »So? Are you still crushing on Diego?«

»Well, it's not like I was able to look around much elsewhere for a suitable match.« He chuckled humorlessly. »I mean … those scientists were not exactly eye candy if you catch my drift. But no.« He then sighed. »I think this train long left the station, though I must say we would have been a damn good-looking couple.« 

»Aww« Allison cooed. »I will miss your puppy dog eyes when you look at Diego! It was _ so _cute!« 

»I don't know if I really had a crush on him.« He shrugged. »Back then, I didn't even really think about Diego like this. We were just close and it felt good to be with him. It felt natural to be around him and I … I could always tell everything to him. He never judged me, he was always there for me, protected me, kicked my ass when I needed it. He accepted me the way I was and he saw something more in me than just the family disappointment.« 

Allison already opened her mouth to make up excuses for their behavior as children but Klaus cut it off right away.

»And now … I mean eighteen years have passed and he … he saved me. Like in a fairy tale or something. He never gave up on me and, in the end, he found me and he rescued me. And he’s hot, isn't he?«

Vanya let out a high-pitched giggle that didn't even seem to fit her like some oversized sweater but it was that sound that draw a laugh from Allison as well. »As your sister« She began with a crooked grin. »I might be a little biased and have to say that you could do much better than this idiot. But I guess, if he were not my brother I would say he was hot, yes.«

»Oh God, that is so messed up.« Vanya laughed. »I mean I will never see anything else in Diego than my brother who wore retainers for two years straight and scowled whenever cereal got stuck in it.«

»I missed his braces-phase!« Klaus sighed, laying the back of his hand against his forehead like some fainting victorian-era lady. »What a shame. I bet he was cute with retainers.«

»No, he was pissed.« Allison laughed quietly. »He was pissed for two years at everything that moved. No one even dared to say anything regarding his face in those two years. It would have been like commiting suicide.«

»I bet he wouldn't have been pissed at me.«

»Of course not.« Vanya huffed. »Compared to the rest of us, Diego was always sweet with you.« 

»So what now?« Allison grinned as she gently nudged him again. It was stupid how much he had missed stupid things like these in all those years. He had missed sitting with his sister and discussing boys with her like right now. He didn't feel judged in the slightest too. His sisters didn't look at the situation as perverted or anything. They just took it for what it was. »Are you going to pursue this new life of your’s and go find a handsome guy in some nightclub or are you going to chicken out?«

He felt himself blush more so than he needed his sisters’ reaction to realize that he was. Vanya let out a squeal beside him and pressed a kiss to his burning cheek. Clearly, she was a lightweight and couldn't hold her liquor. 

»It's not that easy, is it?« He mumbled. »I mean … With the end of the world looming and shit…« Not to mention that it was not the best idea to focus his mind on anything romantic right now. Not with all the baggage he was carrying around. »You know … when I was at this nightclub … I was there to make experiences, right? I thought … I missed so much. I missed having my first boyfriend, having my first kiss, my first time … all of this. I didn't get to be a normal teenager. And I thought I could easily go to such a place and have a night of simple fun, you know? Find a nice guy, experience a few firsts, perhaps.« 

»Oh, Mousey.« Allison cooed as she carded her hands through his curls. »You don't need to rush this.«

»I do.« He shrugged. »The world is ending and I don't want to die a virgin.« He gave a humorless little chuckle. »If I hadn't been taken I would have probably been a slut.« 

»Yeah…« Vanya agreed in a soft sigh. »Still that doesn't mean that you have to make up for it now in such a short time. Sex is more than … well, just sex. It takes a toll on you emotionally and mentally. You don't need to force anything.«

»It didn't work anyway.« Klaus shrugged again. »And not just because Diego showed up. I mean … there were a few guys there buying me drinks and shit but … I chickened out. I … I don't know. It's weird. I have this adult body and yet … yet … sometimes I feel like it's not mine at all. Like I am wearing Luther’s oversized clothes. A-And … When I looked around at all those _ men _ I realized that I will never get what I want … not there anyway. B-Because you see I’m not a _ man_. I’m just a kid in a man’s body, right? I … Sometimes I can’t discern reality from what's inside my head. And inside my head I am a teenager sometimes. And those men at those clubs they don't want an inexperienced kid. They want a real man and not … not something like me. I am so fucked up.«

It was Vanya who pulled him into a hug and allowed him to melt against her. Meanwhile Allison put a comforting warm hand on the small of his back. »You are not fucked up.« Vanya whispered. »You are perfect just the way you are, Klaus. You went through a lot. Your life was stolen from you for eighteen years. You are a victim both of Dad and Blackwood. This was not your choice, this was not your fault. You are traumatized and you need time to heal. And you need to allow yourself to heal. And listen, even if the world is going up in flames in three weeks, dying a virgin is hardly the worst thing that could happen.« 

»Not?«

»No.« Vanya smiled. »Just imagine seeing Luther naked.« 

※※※※※※※

Cages. His entire life seemed to be centered around cages. The Umbrella Academy was only one of them. His obsession with Klaus and his disappearance another one. His role as Number Two, his relationship with Eudora, his training at the police academy, his work as a cop. All of those things were cages. It took being in a literal cage for him to realize that completely. And here he was now, sitting in the holding cell of his own precinct behind closed doors alone. A tiger left to pace through its cage. 

Of course, he had been arrested for threatening the scientist. Apparently, his name was Miller. He didn't have a connection to that name yet but perhaps Klaus would be able to tell him something about this guy. Klaus … Fuck, he was supposed to pick him and Allison up from Vanya’s place tonight. It wasn't good if Klaus would run around the city like this. He shouldn't be too much out in the public eye. Sure, he was not the same little boy whose face had been printed on missing person flyers but he had not changed so much that people might not recognize him. Not to mention the constant threat of Blackwood who was still out there. His siblings had not yet seemed to realize how dangerous it would be for them to walk around alone. 

Sure, Allison was looking out for him and protecting him but … He just didn't feel comfortable knowing that he was not there to protect Klaus if something happened. That too was what he felt as he had walked into that nightclub - the urge to protect Klaus. Well, that and perhaps something else entirely too. Something more primal, perhaps. Something that had, in the end, caused him to go for it and dance with his own brother. He hadn't just done it to make Klaus laugh and allow him just this one night of innocent fun. No. He had seen the way some of the guys had looked at Klaus. 

They too had been tigers. Tigers watching their prey at the watering hole. And Klaus had been oblivious to it. Still, his action had been more than just a brother protecting his brother. It had been a statement to those other tigers in the room. And the message had been clear ‘Keep your hands off of him - he belongs to me’. It was messed up. It was completely fucked. It was warped in every sense of the word. It was wrong. Still, the thought of Klaus going home with some stranger that night had filled him with some form of righteous moral anger. Not because those guys wanted to steal what was his - God, no - but because those strangers didn't know the whole story and Klaus couldn't be trusted with making such a decision.

The sound of the door to the holding cells opening pulled him almost violently out of his messed up thoughts and he was actually quite glad about it. Beaman, his colleague and Patch’s former partner, walked into the room and straight towards his cell.

»Captain Thompson wants to talk to you.« Beaman stated dryly as he unlocked the cell door and allowed Diego to step outside. »You are in deep trouble, Diego.« 

»Go figure.« 

»That's no joke, Man. The captain is _ pissed_.« 

»Isn’t he always pissed at me?« Diego sighed. Well, he never did things the way his captain wanted him to. Beginning by his refusal to wear a tie to work and his rather unique way of solving crimes. He had once told him that he would not tolerate Diego acting like Batman more than a proper cop.

»I’m just warning you, Hargreeves. You might actually get suspended for this one, Dude.« 

»I don't care.« Not with the end of the world looming over him. Not with all that had gone down these past few weeks. Not with Klaus depending on him to be there for him and help him. Beaman gave a deep long-suffering sigh and shook his head.

»I will never understand what Patch saw in you.«

»Whatever it was« Diego drawled. »it wasn’t enough to stay with me.« 

At last, Beaman led him out of the room. The bullpen was just as noisy as always and Diego was acutely aware of the looks some of his coworkers shot him as he walked past them and towards their captain’s office in the back. Beaman fell back as Diego reached the office door and rapped his knuckles against the glass panel quickly. He didn't even wait for his captain to call him inside but rather opened the door right away to step inside and close it behind himself again. If his boss was already pissed being polite wouldn't get his ass out of this crap anyway, right?

»You wanted to talk to me, Boss?«

Thompson was a man only two years short of retirement and had the attitude of an old walrus. He even kinda looked like one too. A pair of bushy grey eyebrows rested over tired brown eyes looking at Diego over the rim of a well-used standard white coffee mug. As Thompson sat down his mug, he saw a few crumbs from the donut on his desk in his massive equally bushy grey mustache. His absence from the field was evident by the physique of his body and he had suffered three heart attacks last summer alone. 

»Sit down.« Thompson droned with as much enthusiasm as someone talking about their taxes. Diego, however, knew him well enough to know that he was truly angry right now. The last thing his captain needed right now two years before his retirement was one of his detectives acting up and throwing his entire precinct in turmoil or, god forbid, shine a light on his poor leadership qualities. So, Diego followed the order without protest. 

»I guess this is about the guy I tried to interrogate before those dumbasses interrupted me?«

»Those dumbasses saved an innocent man from a crazed knife-wielding lunatic. That is, at least the statement of Mr. Cheng who owns the newspaper stand on the street where the assault on Dr. Miller took place.«

»Well, apparently there was a misunderstanding then.«

»So you did not pull Doctor Miller out of that phone booth and then proceeded to physically assault him and push him against a wall?«

»Well-«

»And you did not pull one of your goddamn knives out and held it against his throat?«

»Sir-«

»Needless to say, the fact that you were carrying around a battery of all kinds of different combat and throwing knives alone would be reason enough to arrest you. At least, since you are technically off duty, you didn't carry around your gun, right? Otherwise, you might have threatened this man with your gun instead.«

»If you would let me explain, Sir-«

»I don't think that you will be able to explain this situation to me in such a way that I will not suspend you for a month, Hargreeves.« Thompson actually hit the desk with his meaty fist and as he yelled at him, there were crumbs and spit flying everywhere. »You, a detective of this precinct, assaulted some unassuming civilian! And I frankly do not care what reason you might have had for doing such a thing! You are lucky that Dr. Miller is not pressing any charges against you since the injury you inflicted upon him was only minimal. 

He told me that you gave him the impression of a very disturbed young man who needed professional help and that he does not want to interfere with you actually getting that kind of help! Do you even have an inkling of how embarrassing it was to hear something like that about one of my cops? Just imagine what would happen if word would get out that the police force of this city is employing mentally unstable people?«

»Sir, I can assure you that I am not unstable. It's just … The death of my father and-«

»I was very lenient and understanding in this regard, Hargreeves.« Thompson droned on. »I realize that losing one’s father is a hard and traumatic thing to experience - maybe more so concerning your history and what you’ve gone through as a child underneath this man. That does not excuse your behavior, though. You are suspended. You will hand over your badge and gun tomorrow morning. I don't want to see you again until next month, is that clear? You are dismissed, Hargreeves.« 

**-End of Chapter 11-**


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings from Mallorca! I am currently trying to relax

It was already late when Diego came back home. He had to walk a few blocks from the precinct to where he had attacked Miller to find his car as he would never willingly pay a cab when his legs were working just fine. From there he had driven home straight away to find the house quiet except for Luther in the game room practicing his dart skills. He had nothing on Diego though. 

»Oh, hey man!« Luther greeted him with a genuine smile as he looked over his shoulder before collecting his darts. They were stuck in the wall around the dartboard, hitting everything but the board. »Where’ve you been?« 

»Out.« Diego sighed and allowed himself to lean in the doorframe for just a moment. It wasn't like he wanted to discuss this with Luther. He wanted to act as if nothing had happened. His siblings had never cared for his personal life so why start now? He wasn't even angry about his suspension. He just felt … jaded. It had been a matter of time, he assumed. No, he was angry that Miller got away and probably already fled the city. »Tried investigating Blackwood.«

»Tried?«

»Apparently he’s left the country. Because like every asshole who is willing to hurt someone weaker than them, he has a tiny dick.« Luther actually breathed a laugh at this last comment before he gave up on the darts for good.

»So no leads there, huh?«

»No … I mean I found one of his assistants. Miller. He talked about someone named Jenkins and some girl but I don't know what this was about.«

»Didn't he tell you?«

»The cops arrested me before he could.«

»The cops- Diego!« Luther sounded indeed scandalized. »You were arrested?«

»And suspended. Yay.« 

»Oh shit. I’m sorry.« And he sounded genuine. Luther had never been much of a liar. The look he gave Diego now was one of genuine concern and worry for his brother’s wellbeing and safety. As if Diego needed anyone’s concern or worry in the first place. He was doing just fine. He always did. It wasn’t as if anyone in his family had cared that much when he had decided to move on and start his own life out there. It hadn't been easy. He had been living in his car until he had been accepted into the police academy. He had been homeless for quite some time but he couldn't recall his brother Luther looking out for him then. 

»My own fault.« Diego shrugged, aiming for nonchalant and probably failing horribly. Fuck, he really was hopeless, wasn’t he? »My own stupidity. Now Miller probably fled the city and we are none the wiser.«

»Hey … No.« Luther walked over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was still weird that Luther and he would not just argue for the sake of arguing. Everything seemed to have changed since they got Klaus back. When Klaus vanished, he had taken the laughter and the light with him. Now that he was back, even the wounds that Luther and Diego had inflicted upon each other with claws and teeth seemed to slowly scab over at last. Maybe it was just the fact that Luther had listened to Diego after the funeral. Maybe it was because Luther had joined him in his search for Klaus then. »You did what you could. I might not agree with you on your methods but I doubt that he would have told you anything when you would've asked nicely. At least we got a name. That's something, isn't it?« 

»There are probably hundreds of men with the name Jenkins in the city.« He drove a hand over his face. »I’m gonna take a shower. Oh … Crap! I was supposed to pick up Klaus and Allison-«

»Allison called thirty minutes ago.« Luther held out his hands placatingly. Diego found himself wondering if they might have been friends in a different life. Maybe even brothers. »She called a cab for her and Klaus. They would have slept at Vanya’s place but it's too little and Vanya has rehearsals early.« 

»Oh … Oh, good.« He still felt like crap. He was supposed to do that for his siblings and he had failed them. There seemed to be not a thing he could do right. »Well … Okay then … I’m in my room then.« Not that anyone would really care. 

A little while later he fell into his bed in just his boxer shorts, the events of the day still racing through his head like a rollercoaster. He had taken his time in the shower. Honestly, it was kinda nice to be able to take a shower without worrying too much about the hot water running out like in his apartment. The place was crappy and tiny and way overpriced. If he would lose his job he would no longer be able to pay his rent there. Maybe he should just move back into the academy completely. Not that he was spending much time at his apartment anyway. Everything he owned would probably fit in one duffle bag. Except for his one single lonely houseplant. 

He had not switched on any light source in his tiny room as he walked in. He didn't need to. And now, as he was staring at the ceiling and trying to not drown in his own thoughts and feelings of being an absolute failure of a human being, the shadows were like old friends. It was like it used to be. He could almost hear the pitter-patter of Klaus’ naked feet on the tiles outside his room as he was making his way down the hall the few steps from his room to Diego’s. 

As his door was silently being opened from the outside, Diego thought that he had fallen asleep and was dreaming of his childhood. It all seemed so real, though. The sound of the door creaking open, the whisper of naked feet on the hardwood floor, the reassuring little thud of his door falling back in place, the presence of someone else with him in the room and then the gentle dipping of his mattress as someone crawled into bed with him. He had his eyes open through it all but never shifted his gaze to look at his surroundings. It was merely a dream, an echo of the past. Yet, the curly mop of hair tickling his chin felt very real to him. 

»Scoot over.« The voice was light and quiet and Diego complied right away, scooting closer towards the wall, giving Klaus more room that his brother apparently didn't even want as he came right after him to curl further into Diego’s right side. It was Klaus who pulled Diego’s old worn-down blanket over their bodies and Diego didn't find it in himself to question any of it. They were eleven years again and Klaus came to him after a nightmare. Two brothers trying to scare away the demons living in the shadows.

»Did you drink?« He could smell the alcohol faintly on Klaus’ breath as his brother allowed a deep sigh to slip out.

»The girls got me sloshed.« He answered with a little giggle and now the smell was almost overwhelming to Diego.

»I can imagine.« He hummed. 

»Oh!« Klaus suddenly shot up straight in bed - which seemed a bad idea the way he was swaying while sitting still. »Look! Allie did my nails!« It was quite the contortionist's effort for Klaus to get the blanket off again only to show Diego his painted toenails and he didn't fail to make him laugh while doing so. 

»Beautiful.« He mocked. »Time to sleep now, Miss America.« He pulled Klaus back down by his shoulder and his brother was quick to resume his previous position including dragging the blanket back up. The nights were chilly since it was not yet spring.

»You seem upset, Dee-Dee.« Klaus hummed as he put his arm around Diego’s torso next. Diego was quick to mirror him as he put his arm around Klaus, pulling him in closer. He was acutely aware of the fact that other people would think it was weird that two grown men - brothers - would cuddle in bed like this but right here and now nobody could see them and, frankly, he didn't care. Those people didn't grow up the way they did. Those people would never understand the bond the seven of them shared. If this right here was what Klaus needed right now, who was Diego to deny it? In fact, having the comfort of Klaus cuddling up to him like in the old times, was something he needed probably just as much right now.

»What makes you think that?«

»I know you.« He mumbled. »You didn't come to pick us up. You never break a promise. Something happened.«

»I was suspended from my job.« Diego shrugged. »It was my own fault though. I tried going after Blackwood again but he fled the country and his assistant was not very willing to tell me anything.«

»Which assistant?« Klaus murmured, his interest suddenly peeked as it concerned his former captor. He was always reluctant to talk about Blackwood - at least in front of the others. 

»Miller.«

»Miller sent the dogs after me once.«

»Good thing I broke his nose then.« Klaus gave a weak little chuckle. »Hey Klaus, have you ever heard of a guy called Jenkins? Miller was talking about him.«

»He probably meant Harold.« Klaus shrugged. He didn't know if Klaus was just relaxed with him in general or if it was the alcohol but he seemed comfortable enough to talk about this right now. »Harold Jenkins and I go way back. He was … the biggest asshole of them all, a real psycho. The others … they hurt me because Blackwood told them to or because it was part of the experiment. But Jenkins … He hurt me just because he liked it.« 

Ah, there it was again, that kind of righteous fury flowing through him like a thunderstorm. Harold Jenkins. They had a name. It was unlikely that this Jenkins would help them in any way - neither in finding Blackwood nor in stopping the apocalypse but at least it was something. Another hint, something they could work with. 

»I’m sorry, Dee.« Klaus muttered quietly as he rearranged his limbs in the bed to make it more comfortable for the both of them - meaning, he was now actually resting on the mattress and not half on top of his poor brother. »I wished I could help more.«

»You are doing enough.« Diego quietly reassured him with a pinch to his arm that succeeded in making Klaus flinch. »All I want from you is to heal and be happy right now.« 

»Hey, Diego…«

»Yeah?«

»Do you think … Do you think the others are afraid of me?« 

»No.« He didn't even know if this was a lie or not right now. »I just think that they are confused. Your powers seem even greater than we previously assumed. In fact, they seem to be increasing. The others feel a bit uneasy about that. They think you are not going to be able to control them.«

It was only a matter of time now, and Diego knew this, that Five would take action against Klaus. With each day the apocalypse was approaching, Five got more and antsier and with that, he would become more and more willing to do what he thought would be necessary. He would perhaps not kill Klaus but at the very least he would drug him or lock him up or make Allison rumor him. And there was not much that Diego could do about that if it would come to it. 

A part of him wanted to grab Klaus and run off. However, he knew that his siblings were right. Klaus was dangerous when he was losing control. There was no way around it. Perhaps it should be Diego who would make sure that Klaus would not bring about the apocalypse. He could do it right now. His favorite knife was resting on his nightstand within arm’s reach. He would only need to grab it and plunge it into his unassuming brother’s neck and that would be the apocalypse taken care of.

The thought made him pull the blanket tighter around Klaus’ narrow shoulders. 

»I’m confused too.« Klaus admitted quietly. »About so many things. But I’m glad that I have you.« He muttered calmly and looked up at him with those big green eyes. »Love you, Knifeboy.«

»Love you too, Dingus.«

※※※※※※※

»Harold Jenkins?« Allison asked bewildered after they had all gathered around the bar in the parlor. Well, except for Klaus. Klaus had decided to make use again of his old easel and the few canvases left from his childhood days. Painting had always served as something to calm his racing mind down a bit and had been the only hobby their father had allowed Number Four. »Who the hell is Harold Jenkins?«

»I don't know.« Diego shrugged. »Klaus said that he was one of the scientists working for Blackwood and I heard the other one talk to someone on the phone about Jenkins. Something about ‘Jenkins has the girl’.«

»And how will this help us in stopping the apocalypse?« Five sighed.

»How would I know but don't you think it might be important? If you are right, Five, and Klaus might be the cause of the end of the world than this Jenkins-dude might know something. Isn't it worth pursuing?« 

»Then we need to find him and we need to do it now.«

»So what role does he have in all of this?« Luther asked.

»I don't know.« He sounded like an idiot or like an old gramophone stuck on the same line of a song. »But he has to be important.«

»So all we have is his name? That's it?« Allison sighed. »Geez, there could be hundreds of people with that name in this city alone! If he is even still here and has not fled the country like Blackwood did!« 

»Well, then we should start looking.« Five commented. It wasn't much but it was more than a glass eyeball, right?

»Hey…« Vanya’s voice took all of them by surprise as she stepped into the parlor. 

As Diego turned to look at her, he noticed the change in her posture right away. Immediately she was putting her hands in her pockets. However, he noticed too that she was no longer dressed in the same mousey grey colors. Her coat was cobalt blue and she looked as if she was wearing a hint of makeup - just a bit of blush perhaps on her cheekbones, a hint of mascara even. The man standing beside her might be the reason for it. He was quite a bit taller than his tiny sister, dressed in a simple green and blue flannel shirt and dark pants. Unlike Vanya, who seemed a bit unsure of how to approach her siblings, the man beside her wore a friendly smile on his face and looked not the least bit intimidated by them. Beside him, Allison tensed noticeably. So that was probably Vanya’s new boyfriend, huh? He didn't like him. Then again, he didn't like Patrick either. It was probably just a brother thing. 

»What's going on?«

»That's … a family matter.« Allison carefully replied and right away Diego knew that it was a mistake.

»A family matter?« Vanya echoed. »So you couldn't bother to include me.«

»No, it's not like that. We were-« A part of him was proud of Vanya as she was not going to take Luther's apology and actually interrupted Number One. The man beside her looked visible concerned by their reaction to Vanya. To him, they probably looked like the biggest assholes.

»Don't let me interrupt.« 

»Vanya wait. I’ll fill you in later when were alone.« Allison urged as she stepped forward. 

»Please, please, don't bother. And I won't either.«

»Vanya, that's not fair.«

»Fair?« She scoffed - for once not the mousey little sister Diego was used to. There was some spirit in her at last. »There's nothing fair about being your sister. I have been left out of everything for as long as I can remember. And I used to think it was Dad's fault, but he's dead. So turns out you're the assholes.« 

And with that, she and her boyfriend actually left the parlor again and no one quite dared to hold her back. Diego felt like he should follow her and talk to her, perhaps even apologize for his behavior the other day but he didn't need Five to tell him that they had more important matters at their hands than Vanya’s hurt feelings.

Geez, even in his head he sounded like the biggest dickhead to ever grace the surface of this planet. It wasn't like he didn't love his sister. He loved all his siblings. Perhaps one of them a little more than the others but … he loved her deeply. He would go through fire for her. But now with the end of the world around the corner … They didn't have time for this crap.

»I should go and try talking to her.« Allison sighed. »We had such a fun night the other day. I don't want it all to be broken again.« 

»We don't have time for this.« Five sighed. If Klaus would be here right now, he would suggest playing Bingo with how often Five had already repeated that same statement since he returned from the future. »Listen Vanya is not important right now.«

»Woah, that was a little cold even for you.« Diego huffed. Five just scoffed in response. 

»I would sell my own grandmother - if I had one - if it meant keeping the world from going up in flames.« Number Five gave a slight roll of his eyes. He was always cold and calculated but Diego didn't doubt that he still cared about Vamya. They had been close before Five disappeared. Maybe as close as Diego and Klaus used to be. »But I guess Diego has a point here. I am the first person to admit that I don't have any other hint except for that eyeball. So, we should instead try to find out as much as we can about this Harold Jenkins.« 

»Okay, listen. I need to hand my gun and my badge in anyway.« Diego sighed. »For the duration of my suspension I am not allowed to have those items so I am heading out to the precinct. I will try and see if this Harold Jenkins guy has a criminal file. I mean, chances are slim but perhaps we can find something out this way, right? It's worth a try. Luther you with me?«

»Uhm … No.« He cleared his throat. »I'm gonna stay and go through Dad’s files. I know what you guys are saying but I still think this has something to do with why he sent me to the Moon.«

»Seriously? Now you wanna make the end of the world about you and Dad?« Diego sighed. He wasn't even that surprised. In fact, Luther had his pity. The poor bastard couldn't free himself from Dad and the team. He was lost without the academy.

»No. “Watch for threats.” That's what he told me.«

»We don't have time for this!« There it was again! »We are going around in circles! We had this discussion already! I’m going with Diego then. Allison, you try and find something out at the library, Luther you stay behind and watch Klaus.« 

Leaving Luther behind with Klaus was not exactly what Diego had wanted but since taking Klaus with him to the precinct wasn’t an option anyway, Diego didn't argue either. The plan was easy enough. Diego would go in to give his badge and gun to his boss while Five would teleport into the records room. Under different circumstances, Diego would go looking for the file himself but since he was suspended this wasn’t really an option now. He needed to lay low and act unsuspicious. Needless to say, that was not really his strong suit. 

As he went to the captain’s office, Thompson wasn’t there so Diego just placed his belongings on the table and left the office again only to run into Beaman straight away. His colleague seemed on his way to the records room as Diego stepped out of the office. Close call.

»Hey, Beaman!« He greeted the detective with a grin that took good old Chuck completely off-guard and was not usually in Diego’s repertoire. 

»Oh, hey, Diego!« He smiled back and stopped in his quest to enter the record’s room. »Are you looking for the Captain?«

»Nah.« He shrugged. »I just came to drop off my badge and gun for the duration of my suspension.« Beaman seemed to deflate at this statement quite a bit, his shoulders sagging and the friendly smile that he usually wore on his face slipping off completely. 

»Gee … Listen, I’m sorry that you were suspended.« He sounded honest, even. »I mean, sure I wasn't your biggest fan and I never got what Eudora saw in you but … I know that you are a good guy, Diego. You only want to do good. Sometimes you just seem to forget that you are not Batman.« 

»I’m working on it.« It was a hollow promise and both men could tell. Diego had always had a problem with rules and authoritative figures - which was not very surprising considering how he had grown up, right? »I promise. When I’m coming back I will be less Batman and more Jim Gordon.«

»I don't know if that's an improvement.« Beaman laughed. »Hey, listen. Ramirez told me that you asked him and his partner to keep an eye out for someone the other night. What was that about?«

»Oh … uhm … A suspect. In a robbery.«

»There was no robbery reported that night.« Beaman could be a decent cop if he put his mind to it and the way he looked at Diego now told him clearly enough to not try to fool him any further now. »Come on. This was something private. What was wrong? What happened?«

He couldn't talk to Beaman about Klaus. It was too dangerous. Nobody was supposed to know that Klaus was back home with them. He could always say that Five came back, he assumed but that too would lead to unnecessary questioning. 

»It … uhm … It's a little embarrassing.« He scratched his neck and the discomfort in the action wasn't even a lie. »It was my boyfriend.« 

If Beaman had been drinking something he would have spat it out right then and there. »Your … Your boyfriend? I thought you were … I mean … Eudora and…«

»I’m bi.« Diego shrugged. Fuck, it wasn't even a lie. Sure, he had more experience with women, but there had been quite a few guys in his past too - Not that he had ever told anyone or thought to discuss this topic with anyone. It was his business, after all. He didn't need to tell anyone if he didn't want to.

»O-Oh! Good for you!« 

»Yeah, anyway … You see it's quite fresh and all but … well, he had a rough time those past years.« 

»Abusive relationship?«

Well, why the fuck not? »Yeah … So his ex was a real bastard, Man. Like … evil. And … there have been a few occasions where he threatened my boyfriend since we got together. So … When I came home that night and he wasn’t there, I freaked out a little. I was afraid his ex had gotten to him, you know?«

»Oh man … I’m sorry, Diego. I had no idea.« 

»I don't like talking much about my private life.« Diego shrugged. »It's easier this way when you grew up like me. Everywhere I go, people ask me about the academy and shit. So I rather keep my mouth shut.« 

»Yeah man, I get it.« Beaman actually gave him a pat on the shoulder just as Diego heard the distinctive little ‘whoosh’ that always accompanied Five’s teleportation. »Hey, I need to get this file, okay? Let's grab coffee sometime when you’re back, right? Hey … I’m glad you talked to me, Diego. I mean, I get it why you don't like to talk privately. But I want you to know that this is a safe space, right? No one here is gonna judge you.« 

»Thanks.« He muttered a little awkwardly and then took a step back so that Charles could actually walk into the records room. Only as Charles was gone, Diego allowed himself to shudder in discomfort. He hoped that this had been worth it. Now however he hurried out of the precinct before anyone else would feel the need to chat him up. Five was already in the car as Diego got in.

»So that was a colossal waste of time.« Five sighed.

»Nothing?«

»Nothing.« 

»Fuck.« Diego sighed. »So, I poured my heart out to Beaman over a fictitious boyfriend for no reason. Awesome. I can't wait to go back to work.«

»Oh, look at the bright side.« Five shrugged. »If we don't find out who or what will cause the apocalypse, you won’t need to go back to work.« 

»What are we going to do now?«

»You know the answer, Diego.«

»No.« He shook his head. »No. We don't know if it's Klaus, Five. We don't know. And I am not going to … to what? Kill him? Lock him up? Drug him? Brainwash him? No. Listen, we don't know what happened in the timeline you jumped into, right? We don't know if it was Klaus who caused the apocalypse but even if he did: we don't know why or what led to this. We can only assume that, in that timeline, we didn't find and rescue him so if he did it, he might have been controlled by Blackwood. With you being here with us now, you already changed the timeline, Five. And with Klaus being with us there was another huge change to the timeline. We still have a chance to get this right without killing anyone, okay? Maybe we have already stopped the apocalypse just by saving Klaus and being there for him.«

»Listen, Diego … I want to believe that you're right, okay? It's not like I want to kill him either. He is my brother, after all - my _ twin _brother. I fought a long and hard fight to get back to my family and I don't want anyone to die but if it gets to the point … if there is no other chance … I will kill him, Diego.« 

»You know that I will kill _ you _then, right?«

»I wouldn't blame you.« Five shrugged as Diego started the car and pulled out of the parking spot. However, as he glanced at Five sitting in the passenger's seat, he grew acutely aware of how The Boy looked at him from the side. Five had always had this aura about him. It would seem that he knew everything about the people around him. He knew every little secret that they tried to hide from the rest of the world and he wouldn't tell but he was also not afraid to use their secrets against them. »Still … I hope you are right.« 

※※※※※※※

The house suddenly seemed too big and silent as Klaus walked the halls of his family home. Everyone seemed to be gone all of a sudden. The thought of being alone in this house filled him with fear. He was back in a never-ending nightmare as he first walked, then stumbled and at last ran through the corridors and hallways in search of his siblings. He was back to an empty house and to evil people roaming through his father's office. His siblings had all left the house and he was alone with no one to help him, no one to protect him.

»Klaus« Ben’s voice amidst the chaos in his mind was always like a lighthouse in a stormy sea. He was drawn to it, guided by it. »Everything is okay.« His brother’s touch was cool as he grabbed his shoulder. Always cold. Ben would never get to grow up. »Luther is downstairs. The others will be back soon.« 

He had been asleep. First, he had spent most of the morning painting in his room but he had fallen asleep around noon and now the sun was already going down. He had lost track of time just like he had in his little white room where minutes had bled into hours and hours into days - into weeks, into months, into years. He was still a bit confused as he looked at Ben but his brother gave his shoulder a reassuring little squeeze and an encouraging nod. He didn't feel like he had enough energy to keep Ben corporal right now so he allowed him to slip away again, knowing that his brother was still with him regardless, trailing after him slowly as Klaus was making his way downstairs.

As he came downstairs he heard the sound of something heavy being dragged across wood. It almost sounded like the scraping of a bottle and, sure enough, he found Luther hovering at the bar, leaning against the counter with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. He uncapped the bottle and took a swig right from it. Something told Klaus that this was not his first drink today.

»Hey…« He carefully made his presence known to his bigger brother as he silently stepped into the room. Luther took a moment to direct his attention at Klaus with hooded eyes. His movement was sluggish and lazy but there was something radiating from him that Klaus honestly didn't like. »What's wrong?« 

Against all better judgment and against his gut telling him to run, he walked closer. »Are you drinking?« There was a part of him that wanted to be funny and joke around like he used to - maybe to defuse the situation. »You are! And you busted into Dad's liquor cabinet! He’s gonna be so pissed!« Oh right, Dad was dead. Not that this had any meaning to Klaus though.

Instead of joining in on his little joke, however, Luther seemed just pissed now as he turned around to face Klaus. The way he stood there, his shoulders squared and his jaw set - he looked frightening. »Get him.« He breathed and there was no room for argument in his voice, no room for bullshit. Luther was angry and Luther was dangerous when he was angry. Klaus had felt the brunt of his anger on more than one occasion growing up and Blackwood had used it against him - this fear that Klaus held deep within him of his own brother. »Dad. Do it, now.«

»Luther … I- I can't … I can't…« He stammered suddenly aware of the danger of the situation and his own gnawing fear eating away at him. 

In his drug-induced fever dreams at Blackwood Manor, Luther had been a towering figure standing over him, belittling him, kicking him when he was down. Number One in all his glory, uncaring for the pain he inflicted on his weaker brother. He had been his tormentor. Of course, deep within him, he knew that it hadn't been real just like he knew that, if he would really want it, he could easily defeat Luther now. He was powerful and strong. He knew this. Knowing this was something very different than actually feeling it or acting upon it, though. He didn't feel powerful and strong. He was tiny and weak. David against Goliath. 

Luther suddenly lunged forward and grabbed him around the throat before he knew what was happening. His back and head slammed into one of the wooden pillars around the room as Luther lifted him off the ground effortlessly to press him against the wood with a fury.

»Little shit!« He slurred as Klaus was gasping for breath.

»Please…« He tried croaking out. »Can’t breathe…« 

And, whatever seemed to have been possessing Luther to attack him like this, it was suddenly gone again. Like a shadow passing over his brother’s heart, he let go of him and allowed Klaus to fall to the ground to cough his lungs out.

»Shit!« Luther gasped. »Shit, shit, shit! Fuck, Klaus! I’m sorry!« As he laid on the ground and tried to get his limbs back under control and his heart to stop racing in a blind panic, his brother reached out to him again but his natural reflex told him to make himself small against the pillar he had been pushed into seconds ago. He tucked in everything that could be tucked in, making himself into a trembling ball on the ground, hoping this way the monster inside the room might just lose interest in him. It had never worked before and it didn't work now.

»Klaus … Klaus, I’m sorry.« Luther repeated as one of his giant paws landed on Klaus’ shoulder. It was poorly aimed and too hard to be comforting and Klaus too lost in his own head to even realize what was going on. Faintly, he felt someone rubbing his back. It wasn't Ben. The touch wasn’t cold. »Breathe.« Luther slurred, his voice heavy from guilt and alcohol. »Breathe. Calm, Klaus. In through the nose out through the mouth. Remember? How we practiced, right?« 

There was one thing Blackwood had always failed to understand when it came to his siblings and especially his relationship with Luther. Because yes, Klaus held a certain amount of fear in his heart for his brother Luther. Luther had more often than not bullied him into submission on their father's behalf, even beaten and kicked him during training sessions - to the point where one might argue that it had not been part of the training anymore. 

What Blackwood had not known, though, was that Luther possessed a softness that had yet to be matched by anyone in this family. He had been his father's puppet all his life and when Klaus laid on the ground and his father told Luther to ‘don't you dare stop now’, Luther had proceeded to attack him. But he had also been there when he had needed him afterward. He had helped clean up his wounds, helped put the pieces of him back together. He had brought him little gifts that he made for him out of guilt and shame. Model airplanes that he had crafted himself and meticulously painted over hours and hours with a tiny little brush. 

Luther's hands were able to inflict great pain on someone as fragile as Klaus but they also held the potential to heal and be gentle. And, deep within that hulk of a man, he was still the little boy with the starry eyes that would make a model airplane to give to his little brother to say sorry.

And so, as his breathing evened out again and his heart stopped racing in blind panic, he allowed Luther to scoop him up from the floor to drag him over to the sofa and he allowed him to wrap him into his massive arms and tuck his head under his chin. »I’m sorry.« Luther whispered into his hair. »I didn't mean to hurt you … I’m always hurting you.« 

He held onto Luther, suddenly aware despite his fear and his shock, that his brother needed this hug more than he did. Luther needed to feel needed. He needed to feel like he could make it all okay again. He needed to put the pieces back together and repair what he had destroyed. And Klaus, after eighteen years of physical and mental torture up to the point where he sometimes forgot his own name, was willing to let Luther hug him, was willing to let Luther repair this and make it all okay again.

»What happened?« He whispered, repeating his earlier question with a voice that sounded scratchy and weak and not like his own anymore.

»He needs to answer to me for what he did.« Luther muttered and he could hear the honest pain and despair in his voice. »For sending me up there. I sacrificed everything for him - my entire life. I never left this house. I never had friends. And for what? For nothing.« 

He used to be good at comforting people. He used to be good at reaching out to others and make them feel better again. All he could do now was brush his hand over Luther’s bicep and try to ignore the fact that Luther could easily squeeze the life out of him. »I’m sorry, Lu.« He muttered. »I … I could try again … But Dad … He’s a stubborn prick. I’m sure that if he wanted it he would have already shown himself again.« 

»Again?«

»He came to me in my cell once but … I wasn't sure if it was real. He told me how disappointed he was in me. The usual.« He gave a mock little chuckle. 

It was the doorbell ringing that pulled the two brothers back to reality. They broke their hug just enough to look at each other with surprise and confusion before Luther slowly got up from the sofa. Klaus, however, got to his feet right away to follow him to the door, suddenly afraid to be alone even after what had just happened. So, he grabbed the back of Luther’s jacket and followed him. There was noise outside the door. It sounded vaguely familiar. And, as Luther opened the door, Klaus was immediately blinded by flashing lights and the noise of dozens of reporters barking questions.

**-End of Chapter 12-**


	13. Chapter 13

As Diego pulled into the street the academy sat on, he could already see the commotion in front of the house. It was uncanny and a little too much of a deja vu for his liking. Suddenly, all those god-awful various press conferences they gave on those steps after Klaus had been taken, after Five had vanished, after Ben had died came back to him. Media vans blocked the street and dozens of camera teams were crowding the sidewalks. 

»What the fuck happened?« Five gasped at his side as the brothers stared at the turmoil. However, Diego knew that they could not just stop in the middle of the road without being detected and recognized. It was better if people didn't know that Five too was back home now. 

»I guess we’re gonna find out.« He grunted - fear and anger gnawing at his stomach as he did. What if something more serious had happened during their absence from the house? Was Klaus save? What about Luther? 

Diego quickly did a u-turn and maneuvered his car down a different street so that he could come from the back of the house. He pulled expertly into the narrow alley between the house and a different building and together with Five, he hurried to the kitchen door leading out into that same alley. The kitchen was filled with the warm glow of the lamp hanging over the table and the heavenly smell of dinner cooking on the stove as their mother was going about preparing it. 

»Oh, Diego dear!« She smiled. »And Five, Darling! Good, you are back. Dinner is almost ready.« 

»Thanks, Mom!« It was his default mechanism to at least thank his mother for everything she was doing for them despite the fact that they were all grown-ass adults and didn't need a mommy to take care of them anymore. Still, having a mom that would care for him despite his age felt nice. When he thought about his home, he thought about his mom and Klaus for the most part. The two people in his life who had always accepted him for who he was. Not Number Two who was never good enough, never fast enough, never strong enough. Just Diego. A weird kid with jug ears and a stutter. 

The brothers quickly rushed out of the kitchen - with Five actually walking for once - and into the parlor hoping to find the rest of the family. Well, at least they found Klaus and Luther, sitting together on the couch near the fireplace. Luther had his arm around Klaus’ narrow shoulders, a blanket wrapped around Number Four like a protective cocoon. Indeed it was an odd picture before them.

»What's going on out there?« Five made his presence known as he barrelled into the room, forcing Klaus to turn his head and look at them. 

In a matter of seconds, his brother had freed himself from his cocoon, jumped off the sofa and came running towards Diego with no prior warning. He had barely time to catch him as Klaus all but jumped him to throw his lanky arms around him. Well, not that he would be bothered by such a greeting from his favorite brother but … it was odd and frankly a bit concerning. Klaus was trembling all over.

»We don't know.« Luther sighed and dragged a hand over his face. »We were just talking and then the doorbell rang and when I go to see who it was they were already here, swarming the street.«

»Did they see Klaus?« Five immediately asked just as Diego was in the midst of detangling his brother and setting him back down on the ground. 

»Yeah. He followed me to the door. But either way, they knew that he was here. That's why they came. They wanted to see for themselves and get an interview or some shit like this. It's … Fuck, it's been all over the news already.«

»Fuck!« Diego muttered and slumped down on the sofa across from Luther, dragging Klaus who was unwilling to let go of him, with him. He all but forced the other man to sit down next to him. He couldn't fight however how Klaus put his slim arms around his neck from the side and leaned his head on his shoulder as if he had been gone for weeks and not just a few hours. No, Klaus had not just missed him. He was terrified. Terrified of the people outside and the noise and god-knows-what else. That he had not yet said anything was already a bad sign. 

»Oh, this is bad.« Five agreed as he too fell down on one of the armchairs next. »How could this happen?«

»I don't know.«

»Oh, but I do.« Diego huffed. »Someone ran their mouth.« 

»What?« Luther echoed. »Diego, come on, man. Besides us, no one knew.«

»Exactly.«

»Are you saying it was someone in the family?« Five’s brows were knotted in silent confusion - a look that was indeed rare to see on his face for the most part. 

»Oh, I think we all know who it was.« He snarled and brushed his hand over Klaus’ back. 

»No.« Luther huffed. »Vanya? Come on, Diego. Vanya would never do something like this.«

»Well, she was royally pissed at us.« Five gave a nonchalant little shrug accompanying his words as if he was not really that fazed by all of this. He couldn't fool Diego though. Vanya and Five had always been close before Five vanished. They had been friends. Perhaps Five had really been her only friend in this family. 

»Thank you.«

»I’m not agreeing with you. I’m just saying that she was angry at us.« Five immediately clarified. »But I agree with Luther. She would have never told anyone willingly or out of malicious intent. If she told anyone about Klaus, she slipped up. Perhaps she told her boyfriend and either he told the press or someone else overheard her telling him.«

»Either way it is her fault.« 

»No.« Klaus muttered. »I’m sure it wasn’t her fault. Don't be mean, Dee.« It was the first time his brother spoke since he returned home and probably since all hell broke loose at the house. »Why don't we … just call her and ask her?« 

»Maybe we should.« Diego agreed quietly. »Where’s Allison even? Shouldn't she have returned already?«

»I guess research took her a bit longer than expected.« Luther shrugged and to Diego, it was an enigma how he could be this calm about it. There was danger looming over all their heads right now and still, he sat there as if it meant nothing. The doorbell ringing out, however, made them all look towards the door with unease. »The reporters have not rung again since they first showed up.« 

»Who do you think that is?« 

»HARGREEVES, OPEN UP!« 

»Crap.« Diego groaned. »Fuck, that's my fucking boss.« Slowly he untangled himself from Klaus even though his brother didn't seem very willing to let him go right now. Already Diego knew why his boss was here too and he wondered if he should bother with telling Klaus to hide after the news had already gotten out to the public. »I guess I’m about to get my ass kicked.« 

He tried a crooked grin with limited success as he made his way to the door next. As he opened the door, his boss barged in before the reporters outside had any chance of even getting so much as a glimpse of Diego in the process. 

»Captain!« He greeted Thompson with as much humor as he could muster right now. »What brings you into my humble abode? How did you know where to find me?«

»I am a cop. You weren’t at your apartment.« Thompson explained calmly but Diego could feel the anger radiating from the man. »What the hell is going on out there, Hargreeves?«

»I can assure you I had nothing to do with-«

»Is it true? You found your brother?«

»Sir-«

»Because if it's true that means a) you have ignored police protocol and investigated your brother’s case which I outright forbade you years ago when you first joined. And b) you embezzled viable information in a missing person’s case!« 

»Sir, if you would just listen for a second-«

»Where is he?« Thompson almost shoved him out of the way to go straight towards the sliding doors leading towards the parlor. 

»Sir!« Diego barked but Thompson was already at the door before Diego could stop him. At least there was still Luther and his brother’s hulking form at the door to the parlor was what stopped Thompson at last.

»Do you have a warrant, Sir?« Luther asked, his voice calm and steady as Thompson stopped to take in his brother’s form with a gulp. Well, the last people really saw of the Umbrella Academy they had still been scrawny teenagers. Well, not scrawny but … kids. »If not I need to ask you to leave.«

Thompson turned around to Diego. His face was now red with anger. »You damn well know that your brother needs to talk to the police, Hargreeves. He was the victim of a crime and he needs to make a statement so that we might be able to track down his kidnappers and bring them to justice.«

»His kidnappers have fled the country.« Diego replied dryly. »It's a dead end. My brother can't help this investigation - he doesn't talk.« It was a lie but his boss wasn't really good at seeing through it when Diego would lie to him as it happened so rarely anyway. He could only hope that Klaus had heard him and would play along. His brother had always been a good actor and he had it down to act vulnerable and to appeal to other people's urge to protect him. He always had. It was those damn big green doe-eyes he had on him. »It's okay, Luther. Let him in.«

So, Luther, after one more questioning glance, stepped aside so that Thompson could walk into the parlor at last. Diego, however, swiftly moved past him to sit back down next to Klaus who immediately grabbed onto his arm for support again. Oh, he had heard Diego, alright? He was already playing his part, Diego could feel it. The way his brother looked at Thompson like a deer in the headlights, his mouth clamped shut the poster boy of being a victim. 

»I didn't say anything, Boss, because I knew you wouldn't let me join in on the investigation. We know who kidnapped him and why but I knew that the culprit would only get behind bars if I would come to you with evidence.« His boss looked at him as if he wanted to protest his claim but Diego continued quickly before he could. »He is a wealthy guy. I needed to keep this under wraps and I didn't want to stress Klaus more than he already was. he is traumatized, Sir. He won’t leave the house or talk, he barely eats or sleeps. I am the only one he lets near him. Bringing him to the police for questioning would have terrified him.«

Thompson let out a long suffering sigh and dragged a hand over his face. »Listen, Hargreeves, I get it. But if you knew where you would find him then why have you not alarmed your colleagues? The culprit could have been caught red-handed.«

»Because-«

»Because we didn't exactly know if he was really there.« Five suddenly chimed in, startling the police captain as he had previously not even noticed Five sitting in the armchair. If he was surprised to see yet another mysteriously disappeared Hargreeves boy back home, he didn't show it. 

»You see our brother here is able to talk to the dead amongst other things. He gave us a spooky little message and we decided to investigate. When we found him, we were not sure if we were looking in the right place or if it really was our brother sending us this message. We didn't want to waste the time of the police for something that I, quite frankly, thought was a waste of our time. And I mean, what would we have told the police anyway? Our missing brother talked to us through an Ouija board? The police wouldn't have taken this seriously. Diego, however, was adamant to investigate and he was right to trust his gut instinct. That is, in my opinion, what makes him a good detective too. Without Diego, Klaus would still be in captivity.«

»So, in other words, you broke in.«

»One might say we broke in, yes.« Diego sighed. »Listen, Captain, I know how bad this looks but … he’s my brother! How could I not go after my hunch and try to find him? How could I have risked his life in telling you first? What if you would have gone to that place and talked to the guy and he would have killed Klaus? It was risky enough that I went there to talk to this man first but at least I had a believable excuse! I had to try, Boss, and I am not apologizing for it because I didn't go about this the proper way! I waited eighteen years for you and our colleagues to get their asses off their chairs and find my brother!« 

His boss was quiet for a moment as he seemed to contemplate what he had just heard and what to make of the situation at hand. His eyes were resting upon Klaus now, who gave his best effort of making himself look as small and vulnerable as possible the way he held onto Diego for support. His boss was a family man. That was one good thing about the guy and so, as his shoulders slumped and he breathed out another sigh, Diego knew that he had won - well, at least partially. 

»You know that your brother still needs to testify.« He sighed. »And you will give me the names of everyone involved. I am guessing this Dr. Miller was one of the people involved? I want your brother at the station by the end of the week, you are allowed to accompany him. Also, I will ask the police psychiatrist to be there as well.«

»Thank you, Boss.«

»You know that you are fired, right?« Diego clenched his jaw but he was not about to throw a tantrum right here. Well, he had expected that. He was not meant to be a cop. He didn't fit into that world. He never had.

»Yes.« Diego sighed and Thompson nodded at him before tipping his head at the other two members of the family and then left as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. 

※※※※※※※

He felt horrible for getting Diego fired. Of course, he was not directly responsible but still. Diego had lost his job because he had wanted to save his brother. It seemed unfair, of course, that he was losing his job just because he had not gone to his boss first despite his very valid reasons not to do so. And Klaus knew that Diego had been right to go this route. He didn't know much about police work or the laws and rules that applied but he knew Blackwood. If some policeman had shown up at his doorsteps asking questions about him then he would have fled the country with Klaus in an instant and no one would have been able to stop him. And then Klaus would still be locked up somewhere.

Allison had returned home just in time for dinner, using the kitchen door just like Diego had before as the siege on their house remained steadfast with reporters and camera crews camping out there, waiting for a statement from the family. They all knew that there would be no way around that either and yet no one seemed willing to address it. 

After dinner, they all went to the living room for drinks and discuss the situation, Klaus remaining close at Diego’s side, the only place he felt truly save right now. He could see the camera crews and those bright lights from anywhere in the house, even from the parlor as two of the big windows were facing the street in front of the house. Luckily, the curtains were almost always drawn on these windows. The bright lights and the flashes of the cameras were unnerving to him. 

»We need to talk to them … right?« Klaus sighed after a little while as he was nursing his drink. He had come to like whiskey again after so long a time abstaining from this stuff. It made him feel more at ease sometimes, made his hyperactive senses feel a little dull, a little less sensitive to everything around him and the ghosts would shut up a bit more often too. It was not nearly as bad as it had been in his childhood, of course. He more or less had them under control but they were still there and still annoying. 

»I doubt we’ll get around that.« Allison agreed with him and clinked her glass with that of her brother before ruffling his curls. »But you don't need to walk in front of those cameras if you don't want to.«

»Well, when we go talk to them we might as well tell them that Five is back as well, huh? Two birds with one stone and all that.« Luther gave a long-suffering sigh. Klaus watched how he was walking towards the windows leading to the front of the house only to have a little peek outside. 

»We should not jump the gun on this.« Diego chimed up, refilling both his own and Klaus’ glass.

»I agree with Number Two. There won't be much harm in saying that I am back I would assume. I just vanished, there never were any implications of a crime involved. The case lays differently with Klaus, though. He was taken and abused for almost two decades. His disappearance caused a media frenzy back then. Remember? Our street looked much the same as it does now. There were candlelight vigils held in Klaus’ honor back then, news reports, conspiracy theories. It was a huge thing - a teen idol gone.« 

»Yeah.« Diego deadpanned. »We were there, Five.« 

»I'm just saying that they won't be sufficiently satisfied if we just say that he is back home after we heroically found and rescued them. They will want to know the whole story.«

»Then we will tell them what we told Thompson.«

»Oh, please, Diego. The media is not some elderly police captain who is already with one foot in the grave and a month short of a heart attack. There will be documentaries again. People who will dig deep into our personal and professional lives. They will unearth every little dirty secret and it will be much worse than Vanya's little book.« He swirled the rest of his whiskey around thoughtfully in his glass. »We could use the media frenzy to our advantage. I mean, the cat's outta the back anyway right? Blackwood’s goons are alarmed and will lay low. That also means we will not find anything in his house. Not that we would have found anything, to begin with. Everyone involved in this crime will now flee the country. Harold Jenkins is probably already in Mexico or Argentina. Of course, we could walk in front of the press and tell them that we know who it was and that we have evidence against the person. We might even drop Blackwood’s name but I doubt that a man of his caliber would rise to the bait.« 

»So what is your answer now?« Allison inquired carefully, her head tilted to one side as she tried reading Five’s face.

»I hate to admit it but … I don't have one. Not right now. We should probably ignore it and try to find Harold Jenkins instead - which could prove to be difficult considering the media frenzy in front of our house and the fact that it's pretty much unavoidable that they will tail us. We need to be very careful now.«

»Hey … Guys?« Vanya. Since the front door was securely locked, she could only have come in through one of the various backdoors no one knew about. As she came through the sliding doors next, she looked timid and small but she was alone this time. 

»Vanya!« Allison smiled. »Care for a drink?«

»Uhm-«

»No, she doesn't get one!«

»Diego, come on.« Klaus muttered as he reached over the counter to place a comforting hand on his brother’s bicep. It had the desired effect of calming him down just a little.

»I’m just … I heard what happened and wanted to see if you guys were alright. No one answered the phone. I got worried.« 

»We unplugged it.« Luther huffed. »It kept ringing throughout the entire day.« 

Klaus felt sorry for how his sister stood in the doorway, fidgeting with her scarf as she didn't quite know where to put her attention first - clearly avoiding Diego’s eyes for the most part. It was on Klaus to actually walk over to her and pull her into a little hug as a greeting and, to his surprise, Vanya reciprocated and leaned into the hug just that bit more. 

»So, came to admire your handiwork?«

»Diego!« Allison hissed.

»What?« As Vanya and Klaus parted again, her eyes were confused.

»Dee thinks word got out about my reappearance through you - not on purpose, of course! You would never rat me out on purpose - but … maybe your boyfriend…«

»Leonard?« She asked confused, a shy, uncertain and a bit shaky little smile appeared on her face before she shook her head. »No, Leonard doesn't know anything. I didn't tell him that you are back. I mean … he never cared for the Umbrella Academy anyway, so … I mean, yes I told him that you were kidnapped as a child. He asked about the portraits when we were here earlier today but … No, I haven't told him about your return. And he hasn't seen you either. It wasn't Leonard.« 

»You seem to trust him very much.« Allison replied cautiously but only drew a scoff from Vanya.

»What's wrong with that?«

»How well do you know him?«

»Well, enough to know that I can trust him. You know, I came by this morning to invite you guys to my concert in a few weeks. I wanted to tell you that I finally made first chair. And you know who encouraged me to try for first chair in the first place? Leonard.« With every word, Vanya seemed to get more and more agitated and her voice just a tad bit louder even. It was weird to see her like this as Vanya had never been a confrontational person, to begin with. »True, I only know him a few days but he already knows me better than my own siblings. I mean, really, Allison? We haven't seen each other for twelve years and now you want to be a big sister? You never cared. None of you guys cared.«

»I am still your sister, and I am concerned about you - and him.«

»What are you concerned about?« 

Just like Klaus, the other three men in the room had apparently decided to allow the sisters to hash it out alone. Very wise.

»Leonard seems perfectly charming, perfectly thoughtful. _ Perfect_, really. But I have been around long enough to know that when something seems too perfect, it's usually anything but.«

»Like a woman who’s based her whole life on rumors.« A part of Klaus was damn proud of Vanya for not ducking her head and submitting to her sister but he knew that things were only going to escalate further from here on if none of them would go between the girls and since none of his brothers seemed brave enough and since he was an honorary sister, it seemed his time to shine.

»Okay, okay! That's enough you two.« He stepped between the women holding out his hands placatingly as much as it worked with a drink in one hand. »Listen, Allie, we don't know this guy as well as she does, right? We should give him the benefit of the doubt. Vanya is a big girl, she can look after herself and knows how to make the right decisions.« 

»Thank you.« He heard Vanya whisper behind him and smiled at her.

»Okay!« Allison chimed up and took a step back. She was not at all going to back down now. In fact, her whole posture was one of attack. She had one last ace in the hole and she would play it now. »I know you don't wanna hear this but today I was in the library.«

»Wow.« Vanya mocked.

»No, listen, I was trying to find out something about Harold Jenkins - that's one of Blackwood’s goons, perhaps he knows something. Anyway, I found what I was looking for, records and a few articles, nothing of real value. However, before I left, I decided to … to look up Leonard.« 

»What?« Well, at least Vanya wasn't the only one surprised about that as Five too seemed suddenly very interested in how his sister had wasted his precious time yet again. »Why would you do that?« Vanya asked.

»Vanya, there are records of literally everything. I mean, you look me up, there are miles-«

»Yeah, but you are one of the most famous women in the world.«

»Right … My point is that there should be some kind of records of him, but all I could find is a photo and his name in the phone book. It's like he didn't exist-«

»You are unbelievable!« Vanya finally erupted. »You're trying to dig up dirt on a guy that I like. Who does that?« 

»Look, I've had my fair share of stalkers and creeps. I don't trust him.«

»No! You mean you don't trust _ me _!« Well, she had a point. »For the first time, someone thinks I’m special!«

Allison deflated visibly as Klaus could only reach out and rub his hand over Vanya’s arm carefully.

»I'm just worried about you.«

»Well, you are not my mother. Worry about your own daughter.« Vanya had tears in her eyes just like Allison, as she turned back around and walked straight back out of the parlor again. Klaus hesitated for a moment but then he followed his sister into the dimly lit hallway. He stopped her near the route to the kitchen as he caught hold of her slender wrist. She paused, turning back around to look up at him, the tears now on her cheeks. »What do you want?

»I just … I wanted to say that … I don't think this circus out there is your fault and … I don't know this Leonard guy but he is not the only one who thinks your special.«

»Oh, please.«

»No.« Klaus reaffirmed and brushed a few stray tears from her cheeks. »You might not have powers but I think your special. You are the only one of us who manages real life out there like a normal person, we are all a bunch of losers who can't get a grip. But look at you. You made first chair! I don't know what that means but it sounds awesome! It sounds like it took courage and you were always courageous. I just want … I want to say that I am proud of you, V. And … if the invitation still stands, I would like to come to your concert.« 

Vanya looked almost a bit shell-shocked at that. however, after a few seconds, she managed to compose herself again, only to reach up and pull him down by the neck to press a kiss to his cheek. »I missed you.« She mumbled quietly. »I really, really missed you. Of course, you can come.« 

※※※※※※※

After the showdown between the two Hargreeves’ sisters and due to the media frenzy, they decided to all camp out down in the parlor. Klaus wouldn't sleep alone in his own room anyway, not after everything that had gone down today. Of course, Diego too felt a lot saver when he knew that Klaus was near him through the night and just having the rest of his siblings, minus Vanya, down in the parlor for the night felt oddly comforting even to him.

Luther and he had quickly dragged a few mattresses down, leaving it to Allison, Klaus, and Five to get pillows and blankets before changing and coming back down. By now it was already midnight and the others fast asleep. The media circus was still ongoing outside, the parlor filled with the warm glow of the fireplace. Five had taken over one of the sofas just like Allison. Klaus rested on the mattress beside Diego and Luther took the other one for himself. He felt comfortably warm with Klaus under the same blanket.

Klaus was resting on his side, facing Diego but not cuddling up to him and Diego was staring at the ceiling above. He listened to the soft breathing of his siblings around him, for once all fast asleep and peaceful. Allison had drunk a little much after her fight with Vanya but at least it had helped her to settle down and fall asleep quickly.

And here he was now, lying awake like a guard dog, hanging after his own thoughts and trying to make sense of everything that had happened and everything that was going on inside his mind - and his heart. Being around Klaus made him feel at ease. And no longer could he explain this shit away with it being just his worry after losing his favorite sibling for eighteen years or not knowing if he was even still alive. 

Klaus was not the only one traumatized by that event but still, this feeling inside of him was not just that. Not just the worry of one brother over the other and the panic of a sibling to lose their sibling again. It was something more dangerous. A kind of obsession that he better get rid of soon.

»What's wrong?« Klaus’ voice was husky and barely above a whisper and Diego felt compelled to turn on his side right away to face his brother. In the dim light of the fire, he could see his eyes open and unfocused from either the alcohol or the sleep. He couldn't quite tell. »Trouble sleeping?«

»Just a little.« Diego replied just as quietly. He didn't wish that their siblings would wake up or even listen in to their little conversation. »I don't know … t’was all a bit much today.« 

»Yeah…« Klaus mumbled and slowly scooted a bit closer which in turn prompted Diego to put his arm around Klaus, drawing lazy circled with the tips of his fingers into his back. It was weird how comforting this closeness to his brother really was. Maybe it was a bit weird. Maybe something different would have become of them, had Klaus never been taken.

»I’m sorry, Dee.« He whispered even quieter now but Diego had no trouble actually hearing him. 

»For what?«

»That you lost your job because of me.«

»I didn't.« He hummed. »I mean yes I was fired but … it's not your fault. It's my own fault and I don't regret it. I saved you. That's all that matters to me. I was never a good detective anyway … had always trouble to play by their rules. I’m better off by myself.«

»Like Batman?«

»Sure.« 

»Can I be your Robin then?«

»If you insist.« He chuckled. 

»You know though that Batman and Robin are gay, right?« 

Even if he would have wanted, he couldn't suppress that full-body laugh that only Klaus was able to pry out of him. The way he said those words, the secret little innuendo in them, just made him lose it. Everything that was happening lately was just too wild and absurd not to laugh about it. 

»Shut up!« Five groaned from the sofa and kicked lazily in his general direction with limited success because all it served to do was make Diego laugh even harder.

**-End of Chapter 13- **


	14. Chapter 14

The siege of the media outside their doors continued for another two days. Two days of the Hargreeves’ children slipping in and out of their own home through backdoors and secret side entrances like thieves in the night. Sneaking in and out of the house, however, was certainly not the most awkward thing going on. 

They had to lay low - which was not something his siblings were particularly good at. Klaus, on the other hand, had practice when it came to that. He had spent eighteen years laying low. His siblings, on the other hand, had no practice at all when it came to that and were bound to scratch out each other's eyes sooner rather than later. 

»So still nothing on Harold Jenkins.« Diego sighed as he slumped down on the sofa. 

»Have you guys heard anything of Vanya?« Luther asked and turned his head to face Allison, Diego, and Five as they came back into the room, which earned him a hiss from Klaus.

»Sit still, would ya?« Klaus sighed. »How am I supposed to paint your portrait if you don’t sit still, you Oaf?« 

After everyone had left to investigate, Luther had been assigned babysitter duty again and this time it went much smoother after Klaus had asked to paint Luther’s portrait. Not that he had much experience with that. Well, at least it gave both of them something to do and that was something. Klaus hated nothing more than sitting idle and not being able to do anything. He wanted to be out there and help his siblings but as long as the media were camping outside of their house, he couldn't even go close to any of the windows. Sure, sooner or later he would need to face the paparazzi but he didn't dare yet. He was afraid of the flashing lights outside and afraid even of the noise. 

»Sorry!« Luther quickly returned to his previous position, looking perfectly stoic like he did on all those stupid little oil paintings around the gallery. »Can I see already?«

»It's not even halfway finished, Lu! Have some patience! You never rush an artist, Baby!«

Intrigued, Diego got back up from the sofa to walk towards Klaus and around the easel to take a look. They shared a look before Diego gave a snort. Luther’s head immediately turned bright red and he shot up in his insecurity. 

»What's so funny?« He demanded to know a bit flustered and hurried over. Before Klaus could cover the canvas, Luther had already taken a look and turned even brighter red in embarrassment as he saw the cartoon Klaus had drawn of his brother. A gorilla body with Luther’s relatively small head and a fishbowl on his head while standing next to the American flag on the moon in only a pair of boxer shorts with little hearts on it. He expected his brother to be angry and made himself ready to run. However, after two tense seconds went by, Luther started laughing. »You need to work on your anatomy« He laughed. »Look at this hip to waist ratio!« 

»Well, you do have a wasps waist.« Diego mocked as Luther squeezed Klaus’ shoulder. 

»Can I have this when it’s done?«

»Sure.« Klaus grinned. A lifetime ago, Luther would have hit him over the head with this painting and hunted him through the entire house for retribution. He was either growing soft with age or he was just soft on Klaus now. Whatever it was, Klaus decided that he would use this new Luther to his advantage a bit more in the future.

»So, Vanya.« Luther reminded his siblings. »You heard anything?«

»No.« Diego shrugged. »She didn't pick up the phone.« 

»Rehearsals?«

»No, she has her next rehearsal in two days, after the weekend.« Allison sighed.

»Hey…« Klaus quietly turned into the conversation, glad to actually be a part of it for once. »I mean … we should maybe go to her place directly and see if she’s okay? I mean … you said it yourself, Allie. Her boyfriend is weird, what if she’s not okay? She would have told anyone if she would just be on a trip or something, right?« 

»She better had told us.« Diego grunted but as Klaus patted his arm, he stopped bristling like a porcupine and calmed noticeably. 

»Klaus has a point, though.« Five decided and Klaus couldn't help the joy he felt because of these words. He had never been the member of the team anyone would trust with anything. They had shot his ideas and comments down at any given chance when they were children, always pushing him aside, always condemning him to the position of the lookout, never taking him seriously. It felt good that they were listening now. Almost as if he was a part of the team at last. »We should go to her apartment and look for her.« 

»Okay, you guys go, I’ll stay here with Klaus.« Diego decided.

»No, Klaus is coming with us.« Diego tensed beside him again as Luther spoke up again, suddenly every bit the leader he had always wanted to be seen as. »It was his idea. He should be there too.« 

For a moment, Diego looked as if he wanted to argue with Luther about that but then he seemed to deflate completely. »Okay, fine.« He sighed. »Klaus, get dressed and then we’ll go. All of us.« 

※※※※※※※

They arrived at Vanya’s small apartment not even half an hour later after the five of them had all squeezed in Five’s van. They had left through the backdoor so that the media circus outside would not pick up on them leaving in the first place. It was quite the procession up the narrow fleet of stairs leading to the floor Vanya's apartment was located on. On their way up there, they met a woman with a plastic rain cap on her head, calling for someone named Mr. Puddles. Well, he had seen stranger things. 

Allison took the lead in their charge and she was the one who knocked at Vanya's door. Their sister didn't answer. After the second go-around of this and still no answer, Five lost his patience and teleported inside to let the rest of them in from the other side.

»She isn’t here.« He stated the moment he opened the door as if this hadn't been obvious by the fact that she a) hadn't answered the door and b) had not said anything about Five just appearing in her apartment. 

»Well, she could be at her boyfriend’s house.« Klaus offered as an explanation.

»Or she could be buried somewhere in a shallow grave in the woods because he is possibly a psychopath and has already killed her.« Five replied without even making a face as if that would be the normal conclusion to the fact that his sister was not at her apartment. Five had never been great at considering that other people did, in fact, have their own lives and were not characters in The Sims that he could control how he liked it. Thinking about that, he should maybe get Five The Sims for their birthday. He would enjoy playing God. 

»Or she went shopping.« Diego sighed.

»Have you seen Vanya?« Klaus then mocked before Allison took over once more.

»Okay, either way, boys. Swarm out, search this place. Perhaps we can find out where she went. If anything, we might find out where Leonard lives, right? Perhaps she’s at his place.«

»And wants to be left alone by us?« Klaus huffed.

»Well, tough luck then, she’s our sister. She doesn't get to decide that. And we just want to make sure that she’s safe.« Sure enough, his siblings had never been great at respecting the others’ privacy. Of course, Klaus was not an exception to that and he would never go as far as to claim that - still. Then again, Diego had a point. They wanted to make sure that she was safe. Nothing more than that. However, all his siblings seemed very aggressive in making sure that the others were safe, Klaus mused to himself. Diego was not that much of an exception - he was just a bit more extreme than the others, a bit more obsessed with keeping everyone safe. 

He felt a little uneasy as his siblings were walking through Vanya's apartment and trying to find clues about their sister’s whereabouts. He himself went to the bedroom and opened her dresser shortly. »Looks like she took a few things. Maybe she went to Leonard’s place for a few days.« He called to his siblings as he took in the sight of all the empty hangers. His sister didn't possess so many clothes and most hangers in her dresser had served a purpose and were now empty. 

»Yeah, she took her cosmetics too!« Allison called from the bathroom and Klaus decided not to make a joke about the fact that Vanya did buy cosmetics of any sort at one point. 

»I think I found Leonard’s address!« Diego shouted from the small kitchen. »Was pinned to the fridge!« 

»What are you waiting for then?« Five already yelled as the rest of them returned to the main room of the apartment. »We should pay Leonard a visit and see if she’s there.« 

»Shouldn't we look for Harold Jenkins instead?« The way Diego leaned against the fridge with the piece of paper in his hand spoke volumes. Yes, he did care about Vanya and yes, he wanted her safe - but he wanted to make Harold Jenkins suffer more than he wanted to find Vanya. It was a protective-big-brother thing, Klaus assumed. Diego was a person who never allowed himself rest as long as there was still red in his ledger. He wanted to take revenge on Harold for Klaus as if this would change anything about the past eighteen years - or the seven years that Harold had been involved with Blackwood.

In a way it was cute but now was not the moment for shit like this.

»Yeah, we should but since we can't seem to make any fucking progress we might as well check on our sister first.« That coming from Five was really something. He could see the surprise on Diego’s face. The siblings didn't argue, though as they left the apartment with Leonard’s address next. Leonard lived in the nice part of town near the outskirts. The house was small and fit right into the row of similar simple family homes. It looked unsuspicious and that in and of itself creeped Klaus out a little. Being back in the real world was frightening to him but now was certainly not the time to chicken out.

»Didn't Vanya say he was a carpenter?« Diego muttered.

»Yeah, why?« Allison shrugged.

»Well, I think this house is a bit too nice for a carpenter. I mean … How much does a carpenter make?«

»Maybe he inherited the house.« Allison offered with another shrug as the siblings moved towards the front door of the house and rang the doorbell. The house remained silent for the following moments until Five, with impatience-filled annoyance, rang the doorbell once more. The result, however, did not change. And that, in the end, prompted Five to let out a groan and even before Luther could mutter a soft »Don't-«, Five was gone in a flash of blue only for the front door to swing open a second later. Five, on the other side, just scowled at them.

»Nobody’s home.« He informed them right away as a repetition of their arrival at Vanya’s place before his siblings had time to walk inside. That information did nothing to stop them from entering the house, of course. Quickly, the five of them maneuvered their bodies inside before some nosy neighbor might spot them across the street. The door closed with a reassuring thud behind Klaus after Diego walked in last. 

»I mean« Allison began quietly. »He and Vanya might be on a date or something.«

»Or he is a creep and has our sister.« Five countered with a shrug. »Need I remind you that _ you _were the one distrusting this man in the first place, Allison?« 

»So what now? Do we search this house just because Allison doesn't like our sister’s new boyfriend?« Diego chuckled lightly as if this was all some joke or just some new random thing that just happened out of the blue in their crazy lives. A story that the siblings would tell each other at some point in the future with the words ‘Remember when we broke into Vanya’s boyfriend’s house for no reason?’. Not that it was _ that _crazy anyway. If Klaus would have a boyfriend, he was certain that his siblings would break into that poor guy’s house as well to check him out. Other families go bowling together, their thing was more like breaking and entering. 

»Since we are already here« Five gestured towards the stairs leading to the first floor. »I would suggest we have a quick look around. Maybe we can figure out where they are. If it's all just a big misunderstanding, we just leave and act as if this never happened.« 

Looking back on their shared lives, Five had always had this way of explaining things that made people want to believe him. In fact, he would be a much better leader than Luther could ever be if he would manage to rein in his attitude and dampen his god-awful temper. For all that it’s worth, Five’s genetic makeup seemed to be compiled out of the worst traits of the most well-known serial killers in history. He was precise and highly-intelligent. He was methodical and cunning. He was always at least two steps ahead and highly-aware that he was always the smartest person in the room. He held himself in high regard while looking down on everyone else and he was charming in his own right. He possessed the ability to separate feeling from any given situation or task and would be very much capable of stabbing his own twin in the back if necessary. Klaus harbored no illusions about that last one. 

And although this might all be true, Five also had a loving core to himself. He could be gentle and sweet if he wanted to be and Klaus held no doubt in his mind that he loved them all dearly. In his own way.

»You good?« Diego pulled him from his thoughts like a drowning man as he put his hand on his shoulder briefly. Klaus gave a short nod and looked around the hallway rather uninspired. 

»I’m checking the living room.« He then offered and Diego merely gave him a thumbs up before patting his shoulder and moved towards the stairs with Allison. He watched how Allison and Diego climbed the stairs while Five just popped out of existence and Luther wandered into the kitchen.

»What are you even doing here?« Ben sighed softly as he followed Klaus into the living room at last and, in all honesty, that was exactly the question Klaus was asking himself right now as well. He hadn't seen Leonard until now and although he would never doubt Allison’s gut feeling, he thought that it was a bit much of them to sneak around the place to possibly find dirt on the man. Hell, and even if he was a scumbag, Klaus doubted that he would have some sort of master plan lying around openly of how he went about seducing Vanya to then kidnap her or anything. However, as Klaus looked around the living room, he did find his personal planner lying on the coffee table between sofa and TV.

The house was modest, the interior simplistic. Although, in all fairness, every house seemed simplistic compared to the academy, he would say. The furniture seemed not overly used but certainly not new as well - the furniture of a man who didn't spend much time at home, perhaps. Bookshelves. Many bookshelves stuffed overly with books. There really was nothing special about the room or the man living here as it seemed. A blank slate, almost. Perhaps too impersonal even. A few photographs were set up on a bookshelf at the far end of the room. First, however, Klaus wanted to have a look at the planner on the coffee table. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw how Ben already moved to the photos. 

Klaus took the planner from the table and opened it to the latest date. _ March 14th, 2019: Trip to Grandma’s house with V. _

»Holy Shit!« Ben called from the bookshelf. »Oh, fuck! Fuck, Klaus!« 

He still held onto the planner as he hurried over to his brother and saw Ben pointing to the photos. As he followed his brother’s pointing finger and had a look for himself, he dropped the planner at once as his whole world turned upside down.

※※※※※※※

Looking through Leonard Peabody’s shit was like going through the wardrobe of an old man. During his time in the force, he had learned that a person might be able to fool everyone around them but that their wardrobe usually spilled all the secrets they tried to keep safe. Nobody could fake being a whole other person completely. At least Diego had never met someone who could. This Leonard-guy, however, was either really good at faking being boring or he was the most boring person alive today. His wardrobe consisted of the color beige for the most part and he had too many cords in his closet for one single person to possess. Diego had always been of the opinion that people who wore cords could not be trusted. 

Other than grandpa’s clothes and dust bunnies, there was not much to see in the room.

He gave up searching the bedroom just as he heard Allison call out for him and Five from the attic. »Guys! You need to see this!« As quickly as he could, Diego hurried out of the bedroom and down the narrow corridor where he already saw the ladder leading up to the attic. He climbed it with ease. Luther would have a much harder time squeezing his body through the hole. Of course, Five didn't bother with climbing the ladder. He heard the familiar sound of his brother teleporting before he even climbed out of the hole into the attic room.

»All our faces are burnt off.« Allison muttered to Five and it took Diego only a second to realize what she meant as he rose to his feet. Stepping into the attic was like stepping into the fever dream of a serial killer. 

The attic room was plastered with Umbrella Academy merchandise. Every inch of the walls was covered in old photographs and posters of them as children. Pictures from photoshoots that Diego long ago consigned to oblivion. His siblings smiled at him from all over the walls - or scowled in his and Five’s case. Leonard had even collected their little action figures and most of their heads were melted almost completely - their eyes scratched or burned out on the posters and photos. 

»Well, that's not creepy.« He muttered under his breath. Apparently, Allison had been right about the guy. He was a complete crazy person as it seemed. »The guy really has some serious issues.«

»Shit.« Five all but breathed at the sight before them. 

»This was never about Vanya.« The look Allison gave Diego as she turned around from the murder shrine in Leonard Peabody’s attic to face him, was one of realization - the kind of realization you would rather not have in your life. The kind of realization that meant that your sister’s boyfriend is a creepily obsessed stalker and possibly dangerous. The kind of realization that meant that your sister has vanished into thin air with said possibly dangerous man. 

»This was about us.« Allison continued, her face suddenly a few shades lighter as the horror had time to sink in. »He’s chosen to get close to her. Maybe he read her book. Jesus Christ! Vanya pretty much put a target on her own back as she published this book and now he found her and made her fall for him and his tricks!« 

»Oh my God!« Five then suddenly exclaimed. While Diego’s eyes had been glued to the posters and the creepy merchandise, he had been examining the rest of the room. Diego found him standing at a small desk that was wedged into a narrow nook underneath a small window. »Shit!«

»What is it?« Diego and Allison both hurried towards where he stood only for Five to hold up a leatherbound book with the initials R.H. engraved in its cover. The siblings took a collective gasp as they recognized the book immediately. It was one of Reginald’s missing journals. Not only had their brother found one of the missing journals, but he was also holding up another journal - one in an almost creepily similar style. In the black leather of the cover, the initials H.J. were pierced.

»Leonard Peabody is Harold Jenkins!« 

»Oh my God!« Allison threw both her hands on her mouth in horror. Their sister was in grave danger and none of them had any idea where she might be. The realization was like a punch to the gut. It had been worse enough already to think that she was with some creepy stalker but Harold Jenkins? This was a disaster. And all of this only happened because they had behaved like total dickheads and kept fighting with her. If they would have listened to her or taken more time to talk to her, maybe they would have realized the truth about her boyfriend sooner. 

»Oh my God, you guys! We need to find Vanya! Before this freak does something to her!« 

Allison didn't waste a second to push past Diego, almost bumping into him, before quickly scrambling back down the ladder. She was a headless chicken all of a sudden. After all, how were they supposed to find Vanya without any clue? He could hear Luther’s voice coming from the corridor below and Allison’s hectic explanation of what they just found out but it was nothing more than white noise in his head. Harold Jenkins. The guy who had tortured his brother had his sister. He was so focused on all of those details, that he didn't even notice how Five was skimming Jenkin’s journal. 

»Hey, Five.« He addressed his brother with a frown as he saw how Five leaned against the desk with the open journal in his hand. Calmly, Five turned page after page as if none of those new developments really concerned him all that much. He acted as if their sister was not in trouble right now or as if he had all the time in the world. Fuck, they didn't even know if she was even still alive, of course.

What if Jenkins had targeted her simply to get closer to Klaus again? To take him again? Or what if he had targeted Vanya because he knew she was the weakest link? What if his goal was to hurt her as a means of payback on them? Clearly, Harold Jenkins had an issue with the Umbrella Academy. Had his last conversation with his sister been a fight where he had accused her of spilling to the media?

He should better not think about the endless possibilities there. They had pretty much pushed her into the arms of that lunatic! He especially! If he had just listened! If he had just been a decent brother to her! What if she was dead now? He couldn't lose another sibling. Not after everything they’ve all gone through.

»Now’s not the time! We need to find Vanya!« 

Five ignored him like he usually did when he thought his conversational partner was beneath him. Thinking back on it, the only person Five never ignored had been Dad and, on rare occasions, Vanya too. In fact, Vanya seemed to have been the only one of the seven siblings who had sometimes been able to talk some sense into him. 

»Five, come on! We need to get this show on the road!« 

As Five finally raised his head again to level his brother with one of his patented scowls, Diego knew that his whole world was about to turn on its head. He could feel the electricity crinkle in the air even before Five opened his mouth to speak. 

»Klaus killed Dad?« 

It was this exact moment, that the whole entire house began shaking and before Diego could begin to think of anything to do about the situation, Five was gone. For a second, he was not certain where Five went so suddenly before it dawned on him what was happening. He started running without a second thought and jumped straight down the ladder instead of climbing it down.

»Diego, what's going on?« Luther bellowed but Allison was already tugging on his arm. The house was shaking so badly now that the first cracks in the walls started to appear. 

»We need to go! Now!« Allison shrieked. »The house is going to collapse!« 

»Where’s Klaus?« 

»Diego, get Klaus!« Allison demanded as she was pulling Luther with her down the stairs. 

There was no time for arguments now. Diego kept running after his siblings down the stairs but it was not his goal to escape from the house and as Luther and Allison stopped dead in their tracks at the living room door, he knew that they came too late.

»Five!« Allison’s voice was high with panic, shrill even as the first pieces of debris started falling all around them. »Five stop it!« 

»Get her out of here!« Diego yelled at Luther and his brother compiled at once as he merely lifted their sister off her feet and started running towards the door. Above their heads, Diego could hear the crashing of furniture like waves rolling against the shoreline during a storm. No matter that his first instinct was to run, Diego was frozen in the threshold of the living room door, his eyes glued to the scene in front of him. It was a scene straight out of a greek tragedy - or his worst nightmare ready to unfold. 

Klaus stood with his back to the living room door - to Diego - and Five right behind him, the muzzle of the gun he was always carrying with him pressed against the back of his twin brother’s head.

**-End of Chapter 14-**


	15. Chapter 15

He had always known that it would come to this. 40 years wandering through the cold and desolate hellscape of the apocalypse had taught him as much. All this time alone had taught him only one thing: that he needed to be ready to do whatever it would take to stop the apocalypse. Yet, the hand that was holding the gun was trembling now. The hand, the finger on the trigger that had taken so many lived before, was trembling. Because this was not a ‘what-if’ anymore. This was his brother - his twin brother. And he was pointing a gun at his head. 

Around him, the house was shaking like a beast in its last thralls. Pictures were falling from their placements all over the walls, books crashing violently to the floor and the very stone of the house crashing. It sounded like a thunderstorm right above his head as Harold Jenkins’ house slowly fell apart around him. He was in the eye of the hurricane and his brother was levitating above the ground, his body hugged tightly in that awful eerie blue light. His fingers were clutching an old photo in a silver frame of a young man and an old woman. 

He strengthened his grip around the gun.

»Five!« Diego's voice was more like a screech than anything he had ever heard before coming out of the throat of Number Two. It was pure terror. It was Diego’s unhealthy obsession taking over and speaking for him. »Five, stop!« 

The ‘please’ was implicated. He didn't need to say it and Five didn't need to turn his head to know that his brother had a knife between his fingers, ready to throw and to kill. His brother Diego was a broken man - far more so than he would ever let on. They had all been hurt by Klaus’ disappearance. He too, long before he had known how deep his bond with Klaus truly was. Yet, Diego had been traumatized by it. He had been broken by it and after that, life had handed out more and more punches for him to take. 

He fiddled methodically with the trigger while around them the house came crumbling down. He was ready. It would only take this one bullet. Klaus would not even realize it. He would blink and his brother would be dead. A clean shot in the back of his head. He was sure that Klaus could already feel his lingering doom behind him. He could see the hairs at the base of his neck standing at attention, could feel the electricity crinkle all around them. If he would squeeze the trigger and send a bullet into his brother’s brain, his own life would be over just the same. Diego would kill him. Diego would go this last step over the edge and fall into madness. He would kill him.

Five leaped forward. He heard Diego scream behind him and then, as the handle of his gun collided violently with the skull of his twin, everything was over.

※※※※※※※

There was a large hole in the roof of Harold Jenkins’ house and outside. A large crowd of horrified neighbors had gathered, as Luther Hargreeves carried the limp body of Number Four outside. They had to make haste until police, ambulance, and the fire brigade would arrive at the ruin of the former suburban house. They left through one of the larger holes at the side of the house so that the people in the street would not see them.

»What the fuck was that?« Diego growled as they all squeezed into the van like it was a clown car. He took the backseat with Allison and Klaus. His baby brother’s head in his sister’s lap and his feet on Diego’s knees. He took a hold of them just by instinct as if he needed this bit of contact to make sure that his brother was really there and still in one piece as well. He had fallen like a ragdoll the moment Five had knocked him unconscious. 

»I couldn't do it.« Five spat in annoyance and disgust. Disgust with himself and his own choices. »Even though it would have been the sensible thing to do. _ That’s _what happened.« 

Five and Two exchanged a glance as Five looked back over his shoulder from the passenger’s seat. They had never been very close but right now, they shared the same thought and it was Luther, out of all of them, who actually uttered it.

»Thank God.«

»We need to find Vanya.« Allison whispered breathlessly. »If Harold has her, she’s in grave danger.«

Allison was still clutching Harold’s diary and their father's stolen journey that she had taken from the house. Thank God she had had the presence of mind despite it all to actually take those things with her. Those two items were now their only hope of finding their sister before it would be too late. At least it felt like it. 

»I knew we couldn't trust him.« Diego muttered. But what he really wanted to say was: How could I've been so blind?

Hadn't it been him who had warned his siblings that something might happen to their sister when Vanya had been running late the other day? He had freaked out on Vanya and outright told her that she had no right to go on dates because it was too dangerous in their current situation. He had told his siblings that some random guy might just take her and use her against them. And yet, his instincts had completely failed him - both as a cop and as a former superhero. He should have realized it much sooner that something was not okay.

»First, we need to get Klaus home and checked out by Mom and then-«

»Then we’ll lock him up in the basement.« Five was completely unfazed by the glare Diego shot him through the rearview mirror. Five’s gaze was steely as he met Diego’s in the mirror. The young man sitting in the front was, right now, no longer his brother but a soldier who needed to take action. »Listen, Two, before you say anything: I showed weakness because Klaus is my brother and I am convinced that this will come back to bite me in the ass soon - but I will not be so stupid and risk Klaus going off on us like a nuke again! He destroyed this whole entire house!«

»Because he recognized the guy!« Diego defended their unconscious sibling. »Because Harold Jenkins was one of the people who fucking tortured him for years! You would freak out too! We are not locking him up! Not before we have spoken to him!«

»No.« Luther agreed from the front. »But we’ll restrain him until he wakes up and until we know if he’s stable. We should at least give him a chance to defend himself.«

Diego clenched his jaw around the protest that was threatening to spill as he felt Allison’s reassuring hand on his shoulder. The look she gave him was clear as she held Klaus’ head in her lap: _ This is a compromise. Accept it. _ And, reluctantly and against his better judgment, he did.

※※※※※※※

Harold Jenkins. His face was burned into his retinas like when you look too long into the sun and still see the dark blotches afterward or like the negative of an old photograph. His dark dead eyes like pools of black water, his pasty white face, his dark hair, the thinly stretched lips, the cruel twitch he always portrayed around his mouth. He could still hear his voice saying his name, the mockery in his tone carrying loud and clear. _ »Number Four, it's time for your training!« _

His eyes flew open at once. Around him, the world was grey. Completely and utterly grey. At first, he was sure that he was back in that tiny concrete cell down in the bunker and he wanted to scream his lungs out but his mouth would not cooperate - his lips were sewn shut. His heart was like a steam-hammer inside his chest. However, as the seconds ticked by, he realized that not only the room around him was grey but his own skin as well. The only thing of color was suddenly his t-shirt - the shirt Allison had given him with a sunset and ridiculous palm trees on it. He loved that shirt. He loved how colorful it was now as a stark contrast to the world around him. A beacon of hope. 

»It was about time, Number Four.« 

A sigh slipped out of his mouth as he recognized the voice at once. So much time had passed since he had last heard it and yet he recognized it immediately - like he had in that cellar room when his father first came to him. »Dad…« Even to his own ears he sounded resigned as his gaze landed on the tall figure of his father sitting on a chair in the corner. The room had no walls. No, that wasn't true … How could it be a room without walls? It didn't make any sense, right? He could just not see them. They were surrounded by trees but they were not in a forest.

The greenhouse. It was the only thing making sense in his jumbled up mind. And why was his mind so warped and weird? Why was he so confused? 

»Took you long enough to come back.« His father commented with the air of a man who was never quite in a hurry even with the end of the world approaching on long legs now. 

»Am I dead?« The question made sense to him. Perhaps he was alone in that assumption. 

»What do you remember?«

»Five shot me.«

»No.« His father said and caused Klaus only to blink slowly up at him in his confusion. He tried desperately to make sense of it all but he failed. 

»I saw Harold Jenkins.« He tried again. »He was right there.« 

»It was a photo.«

»We were all there.«

»Where?«

»His house … Jenkins’ house.«

»Not Jenkins.« His father shook his head and his voice was almost soft as he spoke now - like one would speak to a scared child, perhaps. The only difference was that their father had never used this kind of voice on any of them when they had been scared. 

»No … _ Peabody _… Vanya's boyfriend … Vanya went missing … Vanya is in danger!« He shot up, lifting his body just enough from the ground to be sitting right now. The thought of his sister being with Harold was like a punch to his face and had the same startling effect.

»Focus, Number Four!« Reginald reprimanded him quickly, his voice sharp like the sound of a whip lashing cutting through the air. »Where is your sister?«

»I don't know!«

»You do! He told you many times before!«

He was right. Jenkins had always liked to talk and talk and talk. He had always liked to talk about his father and how badly he had treated him, about how often he had fantasized about killing him, about how much he enjoyed inflicting pain on him. 

»His grandma's house … The house at the lake.«

He had talked over and over about his grandmother's house by the lake, using it to taunt him during the torture. Telling him how he would have a nice relaxing weekend there while Klaus was locked up in the dark or underneath the blinding light of his little white room, while Klaus was in pain and suffering.

»Why?« His father droned on. This was no more to him than yet another lesson to give Klaus. »Why would he take Number Seven? You know why, right?«

»Leverage. He wants something. He was obsessed and angry.«

»Does he want you back for his experiments?«

»No.« Klaus shook his head. He felt like crying and didn't know why. His throat felt constricted and his words came out like a croak and that it. »No … He's angry … Angry at you … you did something to him and he talked about how he enjoyed torturing me because of what you did. He wants … pain. He wants to rip the academy to shreds. He wants to destroy. Wait … I made him lose his eye … the eye…«

»I am proud of you, Number Four. You overcame your demons.« 

He paused for a second as he now looked at his father again. he felt like he saw him for the first time since this weird conversation had started. Reginald looked older now. »This is a dream, right?«

»What makes you think that?«

»Because my dad would have never told me that he was proud of me.« He shrugged. »Though I am surprised, I mean I’m not Luther. I don't care about your approval.«

»Oh, but you did - you do. All of you.« Reginald replied with a smile. It was as honest of a smile as he could hope to receive from the old man. »This is not a dream.«

»Why have you forsaken me?« He found himself whispering. Suddenly, he felt very clear about a bunch of things in his life - most importantly his father. Reginald had always known where he was, right? He must have known. »You knew where I was … Why didn't you come and get me?«

Reginald didn't even try to protest this notion. He had known. He had known that Blackwood had him. He had known that Blackwood was torturing him. He had known where to find him. And he had left him behind.

»Because I knew what you would become if I did.« Reginald explained and his voice wavered not once. It remained the same steady drone it always had been. No emotion, no regret, no _ guilt_. Much like Five, Reginald Hargreeves was a man ruled by logic. To him, it had made sense, Klaus was sure of that. »You would have never reached your full potential if I would have taken you back. It was the environment, I believe. You felt entitled to my love, your siblings’ love, entitled to be cared for and protected. Where other children might thrive in such an environment, it made you weak and lazy. Your powers, and I learned that lesson early on, they thrive on suffering. I knew you had to live through hardships before you could be the person you were meant to be. If I had allowed you to be weak in this house, you would have continued to poison yourself and you would have done so for many, many years. You would have ended up in the streets, kneeling before men for a few dollars or something to eat. You would have become the dirt underneath the shoes of the people you would please in order to survive.«

He felt numb. A lifetime ago, he would have thought that he would be furious if he would ever hear the truth that he had always expected was lurking beneath the surface. He didn't though. He just felt numb. He felt nothing. He wasn't even surprised. His father was a practical kind of person through and through. He always took the logical approach. Head over heart. Instead of compassion, he would choose a rational explanation. Instead of comforting a crying child, he would rather tell the child to stop because the situation wouldn't change through their tears. Instead of working through the fears, he would lock a child up in a mausoleum and force it to confront their fears. 

»And who was I always meant to be?« He asked and his voice sounded just as beaten as he felt. 

He shook awake in a flash. His first reaction was to jolt up in his bed but he couldn't move. He was paralyzed. Five had shot him but he had not killed him. He had shot him and now Klaus was unable to move because his brother had shot him. He was paralyzed and he would never walk again, never run again never experience freedom again. Maybe he couldn't even talk anymore. He tried opening his mouth but no sound came out.

»Relax.« Ben! Thank God! Ben was still there, hovering at the foot of his bed - his dead guardian angel. »Relax. You're home.«

»I can't move.« But he could talk! He could still talk! Joy was flooding through him like a wave. At least he could still talk!

»They tied you to the bed.« His heart started racing and Ben knew him well enough to know this. »Hey, it's okay! You are safe here. Nobody is locking you up again. They just wanted to be extra careful. Focus and I’ll untie you.«

»They are scared of me.« He breathed, the realization falling hard on his shoulders. 

»Well, you've just brought down Harold’s entire house.« Ben grinned and he looked honestly amused by his own statement as if he was telling a joke that Klaus could not yet understand. »I mean … that would freak anyone out, right?«

He took a deep breath to get his mind back in order. Ben had no reason to lie to him, he reminded himself. He was home. He was safe. Ben never lied to him. Seconds later, he was free from the bonds that had tied him to the bed. He wanted to burn them. He wanted to take his lighter out of the top drawer of his nightstand and take the flame to the fabric of the bonds. He would never allow anyone ever again to tie him down and lock him up. He was free now and next time his siblings would try anything like this again, he would show them _ fear_. 

He pauses at these thoughts, unable to explain where they suddenly came from. He was scared by them though. Maybe Five was right. He was dangerous. 

»The others are downstairs. They try to find out where Vanya is.«

Vanya … Right! Harold had her! »I know where she is…«

Ben smiled at him, as they looked at each other. His brother was proud and Klaus only had one goal in mind and he would not allow anyone to stop him.

※※※※※※※

The situation seemed dire. A storm was brewing on the horizon just outside of the mansion and somewhere out there his sister was in the clutches of a psychopath, while his baby brother was currently upstairs and tied to his own bed. Soon the storm would hit and wash them all away. It was the brewing of the apocalypse that was coming to get them. 

»What a mess.« Luther huffed as he took a seat next to Diego on the sofa. Five was pacing through the living room like a tiger unable to sit down for longer than a few short seconds. His mind was reeling and everyone could see that. Allison, on the other hand, sat perfectly still, as she was reading in the lost journal of their father that Blackwood stole eighteen years ago. 

»We need to find Vanya.« Diego groaned for the, what felt like, hundreds of times now. It helped to visualize a goal when you say it out loud but until now, it hadn't done anything for any of them to say it. They needed to find Vanya, yes, but they had no clue how. Harold Jenkins was like a ghost. He could be anywhere right now. 

»We need to find out what Jenkins wanted to achieve in taking her from us first.« Five replied.

»Leverage?« Luther sighed, visibly tired by the events of the day. »To get us to give Klaus back to Blackwood? Or to distract us from something else? Like the apocalypse?« 

»As long as we are focussed on finding Vanya, we might not realize that the apocalypse sleeps under our own roof.« Five groaned. 

»You called?« Diego jumped from his seat reflexively and the rest of his siblings jumped just the same. In the open door stood Klaus and, by his side, the ghostly blue apparition of Number Six giving them an awkward little wave. None of them had yet gotten used to seeing Ben like this again every time Klaus felt like making him corporal. Seeing him now, was like feeling the warm rays of sunlight on his face - comforting and calming. 

Nobody needed to ask how Klaus got out of his bindings the way Ben smiled at them. Klaus didn't even look angry or agitated but there was a bit of hesitation as he looked at Five. It sure was hard to know that your own twin was ready to kill you - again. 

»Klaus…« Diego muttered quietly. »You okay? How’s your head?«

»I can tell you where he took Vanya.« Klaus interrupted and took great care not to look at anyone directly. A stain on the wallpaper behind Diego’s head seemed more interesting right now. »And I can tell you what he wants.«

»She has powers, hasn't she?« It was Allison who decided to surprise her brothers with these words as she tapped the page in Reginald's journal twice with her finger.

»Yes.«

»What?« Now Luther jumped up but before he could take the journal, Five had already grabbed it. 

»It's true.« Klaus added. »I … I forgot, I guess. They told me. A long time ago, they told me about it. She was their Plan B, I think.«

»For what?« Even imagining what Blackwood and Harold wanted with Vanya made his stomach turn and his body freeze over. He felt paralyzed by the fear of losing his sister after being such a massive dick to her all the time. 

»Destroying the world.« Five offered. 

»Destroying Dad and the team.« Klaus corrected. »The destruction of the entire world is a bit much - at least for Blackwood. Harold, though …. He was worse than the old man. He always said that it would be our generation ushering in the end and that this might be the best anyway. He wanted to see the world burn, that’s it. He was a fan once, born on the same day as we. He thought that he was special like we are. He thought that he really needed to be a part of the team. His father was abusing him - we were his only hope, his only way out. And then he met the old man face to face. Dad humiliated him. Apparently, years later, Harold came here again to apply for a position as a research assistant and Dad turned him down again. That’s when he met Blackwood.« 

»That's crazy.«

»No. Harold Jenkins is crazy.« Diego shrugged. »I've seen people commit crimes for lesser reasons than just being humiliated. The human ego is a fragile little thing and some people go berserk when it's scratched.«

»The eye.« Klaus finally looked at Five. »I didn't realize is until now. It's Harold’s.«

»No, he has both his eyes.« Five was a bit too vehement in disagreeing with Klaus for Diego’s liking. Shouldn't he jump on this explanation? Shouldn't he feel relieved to have this part of the puzzle solved after over forty years of running around with that glass eyeball in his pocket? 

»No, he hasn't. I attacked him a while ago and he lost his eye.«

»What did you do?« Luther asked, concern written all over his face. Concern for Klaus or for his mental state?

»Stabbed him with his pencil. He used to wear an eyepatch since but I guess it had time enough to heal so that he could put a fake one in now. He had to look normal to approach Vanya, after all. Just as normal as she.«

»Vanya didn't say anything. She knew about the eye and it didn't look fake.«

»Dear God, Luther.« Five groaned. »Did you really look at him that closely in the two minutes we met him? The replica is very good - that’s the whole point. I bet Vanya didn't notice and when she did it was too late.«

»_If _ she did.« Diego remarked quietly. Of course, there was always the chance that Vanya knew and that she was playing along. It was a cancerous little thought manifesting in the pit of his stomach but no matter how much he hated it, it wouldn't quite go away. 

»We need to get her.« Luther said again. »Klaus, you said you knew where he took her?«

»Yes. And I am coming with you.« 

**-End of Chapter 15- **


	16. Chapter 16

Powers. She had powers. 

The realization still needed time to sink in for Vanya. It had started after her fight with her siblings - after she had brought Leonard over to tell them the good news of her making first chair. Not that her siblings would have been interested in any of that. They had hurried down the street during the rainstorm and the streetlamps behind them had shifted and turned and twisted under the sheer immense power of her anger. Leonard had seemed ecstatic over the fact that she was not as ordinary as she had always thought she was. Vanya herself, on the other hand, was just terrified of the fact. Terrified and terribly confused. 

How could any of this be true? How could she have grown up in this … house, without her father ever realizing any of this? Maybe she was just a late bloomer. That was always an option, right? Right?

As the news of Klaus’ reappearance had broken and been all over, she had immediately rushed back home to see if everything was alright - maybe tell her family what she had realized too. The moment she had been confronted by Allison and Diego, however, she had realized that they would never believe her anyway. And maybe it was not even their fault. They hadn't learned it any other way. They were a bunch of narcissistic freaks who only cared about themselves first and the group second. The only exception seemed to be Klaus in all of this. In the end, she had swallowed her news and went back to Leonard’s house and … well, here they were now. 

The cabin of Leonard’s grandma was remote and far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, far away even from the drama of her family and the looming apocalypse that Five had prophesied to them. A part of her was not quite convinced yet that her brother was telling the truth. Father had always said that time travel could mess with one’s mind, after all. What if he just went crazy? 

In Leonard’s presence, she felt safe, out there in the middle of nowhere. Just she, her boyfriend, the lake and the woods surrounding them. It was blissfully quiet and she could focus on her violin practice - for once not bothered with the weight of the academy on her shoulders, despite never being a part of the team or the family. Leonard, however, proved to become more and more pushy with each day that went by out there. Not a single day would go by without Leonard pushing her to use her powers and practice. A part of her was grateful for it. Finally, someone believed in her. Finally, someone was pushing her to be great. Leonard would look at her as if she was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. He called her a goddess, even. 

Having someone who believed in her was a new experience. It was like a drug. When Leonard smiled at her in approval, she felt like nothing else mattered - as if she could do anything and not fear the repercussions. A part of her even started to believe that he was right, that she was indeed a goddess and that her siblings were beneath her. 

It was a dangerous thing to believe. She knew that - perhaps better than anyone else. And yet, she couldn't deny that she felt enticed by it, high with emotion. Next time her siblings would give her any crap, she would be ready and then they had hell to pay. 

※※※※※※※

The car was cramped as they drove down the serpentine road and dove deeper and deeper into the woods. He felt claustrophobic but certainly not because of his siblings all cramped up in Five’s van. It was the forest. The trees were looming over him as they were driving past like ancient giants staring down on him with hooded eyes like dark pools of water. He could see faces in the tree barks, staring back at him in silent anger. Out here, the world seemed quieter, almost peaceful but to Klaus, the silence was deafening. He didn't like silence much. Not after eighteen years of nothing but silence - only disrupted by pain and orders being barked at him. Sometimes, he had even found himself longing for the screams of the dead and actively refused to make them go away as soon as he had learned how to do it. 

Now, there was nothing he could do about the silence or about the terror he felt rising up inside of him with each mile they got closer and closer to the cabin in the woods. It had been easy to find out where the cabin was. After knowing about the existence of the cabin and having a name to attach to it, Five had made quick work of finding the address in the file of Harold Jenkin’s grandmother. Driving towards it, towards Vanya who perhaps didn't even know yet that she was in danger, towards Harold Jenkins who had tortured him for years on end with no remorse, with no hesitation was torture.

He was afraid. 

Sure, he had demanded to tag along. Luther and Diego had argued against it, but Allison and Five had, at last, supported him. Now, however, he was afraid. The closer they got, the more rose the terror inside of him, filled him up like water until he would drown in his own fear. 

»Everything’s gonna be fine.« Ben said from behind him, silent and invisible to the rest of the gang for the time being. He was squeezed in the back of the van - not that a ghost would care that much. For once, he didn't believe Ben’s reassuring words. How could he? Nothing was going to be fine. He felt like he was walking straight into his doom. 

»He’s not gonna get to you.« Diego promised as if he could read Klaus’ mind. He was beside him, Luther and Five in the front, Diego to his right, Allie to his left. »I’m gonna kill him before he can even try to touch you.«

Suddenly, it didn't even seem to matter to Diego anymore that he used to be a cop and should not just walk around stabbing people. He had left his dream job behind him quickly, as it seemed, and without remorse for losing it. He had not even tried to fight for it. And maybe he was right not to. Maybe he was right that he had never meant to be a cop in the first place. Diego had always been a rebel - much more so than even Klaus himself. 

He still leaned against his brother. Maybe the child that was still buried inside of his mind, hoped that he would feel safe like this as the cabin slowly came into view.

※※※※※※※

The sound of the violin filled the cabin as outside the wind picked up and the melody of the windchime became louder. Leonard had left the cabin to go buy some more groceries a little while ago and left her to her practice even though, he seemed to be of the opinion that her violin practice was far less important than working on her newfound powers. She didn't hear the car on the gravel outside at first and only realized that she was no longer alone as she heard the car doors slamming. One, two, three, four. She knew who it was right away. She didn't care. The sun had begun to set over the lake and the ceiling lamp in the living room swung from one side to the other and for once in her life, she felt like she was in control - as if her family, at last, didn't matter anymore.

No more dramas. No more Umbrella Academy. No more not being good enough. No more being pushed aside.

»Vanya!« She could hear Allison’s voice over her violin. »Is that you?« Behind her, the cabin door opened and she really wished they would just have stayed in the city and kept ignoring her - kept forgetting her. Sometimes being forgotten was far better than being remembered. 

»Vanya, there you are! What is going on?« 

At last, she put down her bow and violin to turn around and face the intruders as if it would be normal that her siblings had come here. It looked almost a bit comical how her siblings kept piling into the living room. If she wouldn't know it any better, she would have said they looked concerned. Of course, that was silly. Her siblings had never held any concern for her, right? Only they mattered, after all. Only they and their dramas and their problems and their theatrics. They had never seen her, why would they start now all of a sudden? They hadn't seen her pain when Klaus vanished or Five. They hadn't seen her grief when Ben died. They had banded together against the pain and sadness and left her out in the cold - alone. She might as well have been the one who had gotten kidnapped or vanished or been killed. 

But now they were here and they looked concerned. All but Klaus. Klaus looked … anxious. He was fidgeting more than usual as his eyes quickly roamed the living room of the cabin - almost as if he was afraid to see something he rather didn't want to see. But that was just Klaus, right? He had never been right in the head. Not as a child and the last eighteen years had certainly not helped him in that regard. 

»What are you doing here?« Vanya asked as she fully turned to face her siblings, bow and violin still in her hands and anger flaring up inside of her all at once. For once in her life, she didn't feel that rush of fear facing her siblings. For once she felt like there was nothing her siblings could say or do to make her feel as small and insignificant as she had felt all her life.

»We came to find you!« And didn't it sound just like an accusation coming from Allison? Like she wasn’t allowed to leave without informing them, like she wasn't allowed to abandon their shitshow of a family, like she needed to stay right there where her siblings had put her to take her out of her designated cabinet whenever they needed her for something - even if only to blame her for something she hadn't had anything to do with. And how did they find her anyway? _ No_, she thought, _ that’s a can of worms you don’t want to open_. She could imagine how they found her. Her siblings had never had any sense of respect for someone else’s privacy.

»Are you okay?« Five. Perhaps the only person in this family she had ever really felt close to. But Five had left her too. He had been too arrogant, too prideful. He had left to prove their father wrong and had gotten stuck in the future to let her go on about living alone. Now his brows were furrowed but he still looked at her like she was a math problem he could not quite figure out. 

»Yeah?« Before she could even begin to formulate a question of her own - as in why her siblings were even there - Klaus took her attention once more as he looked at her with wide eyes, but his posture still guarded and brimming with nervous energy. She could almost hear his heartbeat going faster and faster. He was a rabbit in a trap and he knew it.

»The … lights and … the lamps and … the wind … that was you, right?« He almost startled her with this statement. Klaus had always been the most perceptive of the bunch but that had been a long time ago and why would he suddenly realize this all on his own? What if he had known it all along that she had powers? What if he had known and never said anything? Who else of them knew? »Your powers?«

»Turned out I had them all along.« She tried to act nonchalant about it. She wasn't. Realizing her own powers had been huge. It had pushed her to the edge of insanity, almost. Realizing that her whole life had been a lie … that those pills she had swallowed every day of her life willingly without ever questioning it, was devastating. She had believed her father when he told her that those pills were against her anxiety. She had believed him because she had been naive enough to believe that a father would not lie to his children. She should have known better, shouldn't she? She had seen him lie and lie and lie - to his children, to the public, to himself. She had seen it and she had allowed it. 

Her siblings were, for once, stunned into silence and outside the sound of the insects chirping was the only noise that could be heard for about a heartbeat or two. »It's weird, huh?« Her siblings, however, didn't seem surprised. They knew. They had always known. They had known and allowed their father to drug her, allowed him to make her feel small and insignificant. They had watched how she had drowned in the shadows. They had known and they had laughed behind her back.

»It's- … It's incredible.« Allison offered.

»But … you knew this already.« Vanya replied slowly and noticed briefly how the others tensed. »You knew.«

»We-«

»Don't lie.« Vanya then snapped and again, Allison closed her mouth unable to formulate another lie.

»I knew.« Klaus, at last, confessed. »I knew. Blackwood told me. It was … it was a long time ago. And I … I forgot. He turned my brain into mush with all those drugs and the electroshocks and the training … I forgot. I’m sorry, V.« 

Out of all her siblings, Klaus was the easiest to forgive right now. Not because of his doe eyes. She wasn't Diego who always fell for his puppy eye look. No, because Klaus was the only one who could outright admit when he was in the wrong and who had at least a decent enough reason to have lied to her - or forgotten to tell her something this important. 

»He … I remember him telling me that you were his plan b in going against dad … If I wouldn't work out. He wanted to destroy everything and he planned on taking you as well.«

»And you conveniently remembered this now, why?«

»Harold Jenkins.« Five’s voice cut through the tense atmosphere in the room like one of Diego’s knives. 

»Who?«

»Leonard Peabody« Five soldiered on, with his shoulders tense and his eyes like steel as he took a step toward her. »His real name is Harold Jenkins.« They looked at her as if the name should sound familiar to her. The name had probably fallen in one of their super-secret super siblings' meetings where she had no right of being.

»Remember when I couldn't find anything in the library on Leonard?« Allison spoke up again with pleading eyes. »It's because Leonard Peabody doesn't exist. Harold Jenkins does.«

»And he was working for Blackwood for the last seven years.« Diego finally broke his vow of silence. There was poison in his voice but that was nothing new.

»This is insane.« Vanya shook her head and tried to make sense of her brother’s words. »Leonard is a carpenter. He works in Bricktown. His father died last year of a heart attack. This is his grandmother’s cabin-«

»We were at his house.« Luther interrupted. »Because we were worried when we couldn't reach you. We went there to look for you - make sure you’re safe with everything that's going on right now.« 

»I- I don't understand-« 

»He has pictures of all of us with our eyes gouged out.« Allison stepped forward again. »Like some kind of sick fucked-up murder shrine.«

»Wh- What? I … that doesn't make any-«

»Klaus recognized him, Vanya.« Diego always took Klaus’ side. It had always been like this. It was even worse now that Klaus was back from the dead. Maybe Diego was even more messed up than Klaus himself. Losing his best friend back then had driven him to the brink of insanity. If Klaus would say the sky was purple, Diego would agree. So, if Klaus said Leonard was Harold, Diego wouldn't feel the need for further proof. He forgot that Klaus was crazy and had always been crazy. He forgot that Klaus had set fire to his desk once or twice just for shits and giggles. The pain over his disappearance had tainted to many of Diego’s real memories of Klaus - the real Klaus - that he was unable to recognize a lie now. »He recognized him on one of the photos in his house-«

»That doesn't have to mean anything! It's Klaus! He believed in the Easter Bunny until we turned twelve!«

»He almost brought the entire house down!« Diego shot back. »He freaked out when he saw the photo! That wasn't fake, Vanya! I know you don't like to hear it but-«

»If it's true what you’re saying: Why would he do stuff like this, huh? Why would Leonard lie and have a ‘murder shrine’ of us? No! That’s crazy!« She groaned. »You guys just can't accept it that I finally found someone who-« 

»Because Dad humiliated him.« Klaus found his voice again. It was small and soft and he decidedly not looked at her and yet his voice commanded attention. »Because … when he was thirteen he came to our house after one of our missions and wanted to join us. Because his father was beating him and he dreamed about being a member of the academy. Because he thought, now that I was gone, there would be room for him. He was born at the same time as we, he thought he was special and Dad … Dad mocked him in front of all those people. And he held that grudge for nine years, Vanya. He became a scientist and he came back to the house. Eight years ago. He came back to talk to Dad and ask him for another chance - a chance to be his research partner and once again Dad mocked him and humiliated him. He called his work absurd and stupid and Harold’s hatred festered and grew and he found Blackwood - and me.« 

»So it's all about you guys again, huh?« Vanya mocked and Allison took another step forward to take her hand but Vanya ripped it away immediately. 

»Look uhm … I can't imagine how hard it is for you to hear this … how you feel right now, but I … I love you - We all love you, and we wanna be here for you, as your family. We have lost so much in the past already. We don't want to lose you too.«

»There's just no way.« She felt like she needed to sit down. »I love him. This just doesn't make any sense. And this power … I- I don't know. I don't know what's going on.« She felt like her head was going to explode. It was all too much. »I don't know what to do.« 

Could she really trust what her siblings were saying? Had there ever been a time when they had told her the truth? She couldn't remember. Leonard, on the other hand … He loved her. She loved him. What reason would he have to lie to her?

»He’s manipulating you.« Klaus walked closer towards her. »That's what he does. He wants to see the world burn and for that he needs you. he wants to destroy all of us - for revenge. He read your book and he saw an opportunity because we were shitty siblings. He saw this and he knew that he could use this to his advantage, V.« 

So, in other words … she was the weak link of the family. Not Klaus, the boy who had been locked up for eighteen years. She. The normal one. The ordinary one. The one desperate to feel loved and accepted and seen. She had to sit down. Slowly, she put down her violin and bow as she took a seat on one of the old armchairs around the living room. The windchime above the door started turning and twisting as a gentle wind ruffled the curtains. Anger was boiling inside of her. Red hot anger. Her siblings took a collective step back - all but Klaus. 

»Listen, it's not safe here.« Klaus mumbled. »Let's go, okay? Let's go and talk about all of this when we’re home, okay?« 

She heard the kitchen door open with a creak and the jingle of Leonard’s car keys. She heard the rustling of the leaves in the trees surrounding the cabin. Every little sound was suddenly amplified, resonating inside of her. It was the startled gasp that tore from Klaus’ throat that was the loudest in her ears, vibrating in her skull as her brother took a step back, his eyes glued to a spot somewhere behind his sister. 

»Vanya?« Leonard’s voice sounded a bit uncertain as she rose to her feet as well to turn around and face him. His smile was nervous. »What's going on?« 

»Why don't you tell her?« Diego snarled and she didn't need to look at him to know that he was already clutching a knife. »Harold.« He all but spat the name like a curse or a dirty word - every bit the mexican grandma he was deep inside his heart, like Klaus had once put it so eloquently. 

»I don't- Vanya?« Leonard looked at her for help, his mouth twitching as his smile wavered but she could see how his eyes kept bouncing back to Klaus again and again. Agitated - afraid? »Why is your family here?«

»We found your journal.« Five growled and yet he clung to this air of superiority he had always had. »And the journal that your boss stole from our father eighteen years ago. Want me to tell Vanya what you wrote about her?« 

»Listen, Vanya, I don't know what's going on here but … it was a long day and I don't want to be rude but I would rather your family come back tomorrow if they have something to discuss, okay?«

»Don't tell me you forgot me, Harold-Darling.« The blue glow that was surrounding Klaus was eerie as Vanya looked at her long lost brother again. There was fury etched into the lines of his face but the fear in his eyes was much more pronounced. He couldn't fool any of them. He was terrified and Leonard’s face was suddenly a cruel twisted mask and she felt, as Leonard stared at Klaus with this wicked expression on his face, that she saw him for the first time. Leonard could see the fear in Klaus’ eyes too and he was delighted of the fact that he had put it there. This right there was the real Leonard. No, not Leonard. Harold.

Harold Jenkins.

One of the men who had tortured her brother for years. One of the men who had kept her brother from her and made him suffer through pain and terror on a daily basis. One of the men who had ripped her family apart by taking one of them away. Suddenly, she could hear nothing except for her own heart beating in her chest - or was it Klaus’ heart? It was so quick. As fast as the beating of a rabbit’s heart. A rabbit caught in a snare. 

She couldn't talk as she took a stance between Leonard and Klaus. Her jaw was wired shut. 

»Vanya, what-« But Harold was already levitating a few inches above the floorboards of the cabin and all Vanya felt was fury at the man who had lied to her and betrayed her. The man who had used her weakness, her fear of being left in the dark, her feelings of insecurity and of never being enough or belonging somewhere against her. The man who had played her like a fiddle. She had been so dumb and so naive and she had fallen right in his trap and she hadn't even seen it. 

She hadn't seen it. 

And now here they were. And she could feel Klaus’ fear of the man, could feel Diego’s righteous anger and the pain her brother had gone through after losing his best friend for such a long time. Poor, insecure Diego, growing up in a house that had lost it's laughter and warmth, growing up never being good enough, never feeling loved. The action came instinctively as the knives came flying. First, she was sure it was Diego but it only was his knives and it was Vanya throwing them. They hit their intended target with as much accuracy as if Diego had thrown them. Every single one hitting Harold and stucking him like a pig.

It all happened so quickly that she had barely time to understand it. It started with Leonard levitating off the ground and it ended with him being thrown back against the kitchen wall, his body littered with knives and scissors and every single sharp little object around. It stopped as quickly as it had started, the wind stopped whistling, the chime stopped chiming, her heartbeat slowed, the trees stopped rustling and the breath she had been holding escaped her lips in a sharp whistle. 

Silence lay steadily over the cabin and Harold Jenkins was dead.

**-End of Chapter 16-**


	17. Chapter 17

Harold Jenkins was dead. 

It was a truth that had not yet sunken in. A truth that was perhaps not to be understood by any human. Especially not Klaus Hargreeves. No … No, he was not meant to understand this. He was not meant to process any of this. He was not meant to … what?

»Klaus« He was pretty sure that his name had been called a few times now. He was pretty sure that someone had even snapped their fingers in front of his face at one point. Something touched the side of his face. It was quite cold. A hand, perhaps? Diego? No. Diego’s hands were unbearably hot. He was like a heater on legs. Ben? Ben. »Klaus.« Yes, it was Ben. There was no doubt about it. He was right in front of him. Not the child he remembered, but the boy that died while he had been locked up.

He wondered if he wouldn't have died if Klaus would have been there. Would he have died in Ben’s stead? Would neither one of them have died? Would Five have vanished? His disappearance had ripped the family apart. It was his fault. In a way. 

»Hey, come back, okay? You are getting lost again.« 

Right. Where were they again? The academy? No. Not a single room inside the academy looked like this. The room was dusty, the walls covered in wooden paneling, the furniture old and battered, the curtains stiff and outside he could see only the darkness of a forest surrounding them. He remembered running across the lawn towards the trees. He remembered the barking of the hounds behind him. He wanted to run now but he was rooted to the spot. He couldn't move. Someone was holding him back. As he looked down, there was an arm wrapped around his chest tightly and something warm pressed against his back. Another body? Weird.

Diego. He thought to himself. Only Diego would do something like this, keeping him rooted to the spot, close to himself so that he wouldn't fall as his legs were buckling and increasingly unable to support his weight. 

»Remember where we are?« Ben asked at last and finally managed to get Klaus to actually look at him next. His brother hovered right in front of him, his form one of blue light as he always appeared as whenever Klaus managed to make him corporal. Sometimes it seemed, Ben didn't even really need him to do anything, though. He could feel it right now too - how Ben was drawing energy from him, taking what he needed to be corporal. »The cabin, remember?«

»What's wrong with him?« There was another voice - a female one. Vanya? Perhaps it was Vanya. 

»I don't know.« Five. Definitely Five. »Maybe he has a panic attack?« 

A panic attack?

»Yes.« Ben replied.

Had he said this out loud? He couldn't even feel his mouth. 

»We need to get him home - We all need to get home.« He started to lose track of his surroundings again. His vision became blurry and Ben faded out of existence again. He felt sorry that he couldn't allow his brother to stay for a little while longer but he felt faint. It was then that Klaus could see the body across the room. He lay on the ground, his body spiked with knives and scissors and all kinds of sharp objects. 

Harold Jenkins. 

Harold Jenkins was dead and Klaus felt his knees give out underneath him.

※※※※※※※

Silence reigned supreme over the umbrella academy. The only sound came from the crackling fire in the fireplace as the siblings had all gathered around it like cavemen would have gathered around a fire at night to keep warm. He wanted to say that they were all still in shock over today's events but shock was not at all what he felt. In fact, he could hardly describe what he felt. It was not shock, though. No, that much was certain. 

Surprise, maybe over what they had found out about their sister whom they had always dismissed as being normal - not that there was anything wrong with being normal. Sometimes every one of them had even envied her for not having any powers. Like, hell, if being normal would have meant that his father would not have locked him into a water tank for hours or sometimes even days at a time, he would have gladly swapped places.

Yet, it didn't really shock Diego that their father would hide such a viable truth from his children. Reggie had been a monster and he still stood by those words he had said at Reginald’s funeral. Their father had abused them and mistreated them. In his case, he had spent years and years and years establishing an inferiority complex in him. He had been a normal boy once, a child that just wanted to love and be loved. Reginald had turned him into a bitter man who never seemed good enough, never strong enough, never fast enough - never number one, always the spare. 

However, he could see now that he had had it easy compared to Vanya. Their father had destroyed her whole entire life without batting a lash. Years of potential wasted, a life lived only half.

»I remember it now.« Allison whispered and broke the silence as if smashing a hammer into a window. »We were … three … maybe four years old. You were gone.« She glanced at Vanya who was sitting beside him on the sofa, nursing a glass of whiskey. »Dad told us that you were sick. Then one day Mom came and told me to come with her and we went down into the basement and- the cell!« Now she looked at Luther, standing at the fireplace. »The cell! He had locked her in that cell. It was _ her _cell, Luther!« 

He felt exhausted. Too exhausted to become a part of this conversation. He had Klaus’ feet in his lap and Vanya had his head. Even Vanya looked exhausted now - too exhausted to care or be angry, perhaps. 

»And … we were so little. Back then I didn't understand it. Dad told me to rumor you - and I didn't understand it. Until now.«

»What did he tell you to say?« Vanya finally found her voice and it sounded off, a bit croaky perhaps. Well, she had gone through hell and back today.

»He wanted me to say … he wanted me to make you think that you have no powers. He wanted me to make you think that you are ordinary.« It was like a lightning bolt had hit them all. The realization that their sister had been an accomplice in all of that … it was a nightmare. »He made me his accomplice. Vanya … I can never … I’m so sorry.« 

»It wasn't your fault.« She whispered but she didn't sound convinced. It was logic speaking, of course. Because, yes, logically they all knew that it hadn't been Allison’s fault. She had been just a kid, a toddler even! Back then they had barely understood their own powers! Still, it didn't change the fact that Allison had been the reason why Vanya had never known her full potential and had always been cast aside. Even without being in her shoes, Diego knew that this had to hurt like a fucking bitch. It was almost as if Allison had outright betrayed her.

»I’m so sorry.« Allison repeated. »All those years and- I can never make it up to you.«

»You warned me about Leon- about Harold.« Vanya then replied quietly. »I should have listened to you. But I was so ... stubborn and dead set on proving you all wrong that I didn't see the signs. I didn't even realize he had a fake eye, for God’s sake!« 

»It's not your fault.« Luther sighed. »You … You just wanted to believe that it was real. You wanted to believe the things he said because they felt good and he knew exactly what to say. He said the things you would have wanted to hear from us. He gave you the appreciation and respect you never got from your family. He preyed on that and we … Fuck, we played right into that.«

»I’m sorry.« He was aware of how his siblings looked at him now. Vanya was sitting so close to him and yet he felt unable to reach out. He would just need to lift his arm and pat her shoulder or something but he couldn't. Instead, he held on tighter to Klaus’ feet in his lap. »I’m sorry for being such an asshole to you, Vanya. I … I shouldn't have yelled at you or said all those nasty things. I was a dick and I’m sorry.«

»You were right though.« Vanya sighed and surprised him as she reached out to him now to brush her hand over his biceps. »You were right as you freaked out on me after that first date I had with … him.« 

They shared a rare smile. Vanya and he had never really gotten along. They were too different. She had been too submissive and quiet and he too wild and angry all the time. Maybe they could move on from this as a family. Maybe he would learn how to actually talk to his sister without making a total asshat out of himself. 

»What are we going to do now?« Vanya directed at the room. There was so much to clear up now, so much to take care of and so little time left until the day of the apocalypse would hit them like a freight train. There was just no hint whether or not the apocalypse was still on, right? Would have Vanya been the cause of it if they hadn't found her? Maybe, in that timeline Five jumped to, they had never gotten Klaus back and thus they had never found out who Leonard was. Maybe Leonard had actually managed to get Vanya to that point where she would destroy everything. 

»The police will find his body sooner or later.« Five offered as always like the voice of reason. »Luckily, Diego picked up all his knives again. There should be nothing that leads to us.« 

»You mean, to me.« Vanya huffed.

»No, I mean us.« Five shrugged. »We are a team. Welcome to the team, Vanya. If one of us is fucked, everyone is. We were all there. We are all accomplices. Don't get me wrong, I’m glad you killed that asshole for everything he did to you and Klaus. Still, it's murder and we could get in trouble for that. Well, then again, what reason would the police have to suspect us in this crime?«

It was an open question and no matter how much Diego tried to think of anything that could be traced back to them, there really wasn’t anything. They had taken the journals and the diary with them from Harold’s house and Five hadn't found anything at the cabin. 

»And Blackwood?« Luther then broke the silence again. »What are we going to do about Blackwood? Is there anything we can do?« 

»We should … leave that to Klaus.« Diego sighed as he looked at his still sleeping brother. Grace had given him something to calm down and sleep. He had passed out shortly at the cabin and had been near catatonic ever since. The shock of seeing one of his tormentors and then seeing him be killed had just been too much for him. Diego couldn't blame him. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Klaus must've been through in all those years or today even. 

»I mean, even if Klaus decides that he want to get justice and make him pay - we don't know where to find him.«

»No.« Five agreed. »But I don't think that's necessary. We don't need to find him if he comes to us.«

※※※※※※※

Revenge. According to rumor a dish best served cold. Klaus had never been a big fan of the topic of revenge nor revenge stories. Most of them were stupid anyway. Going after somebody for revenge usually only served to make one’s own life more miserable and that was it. There was nothing that could be achieved in looking for revenge. Yet, of course, he had entertained the thought once or twice in those past eighteen years. 

Blackwood had taken so much from him - had destroyed his life even. The least he could do was to take his revenge, right? The least he could do was make this bastard pay for the things he did to him. And, hell, didn't it just feel good and right to imagine all the different ways he might be able to kill this man?

Diego looked at him expectantly and Klaus knew that all he needed to say was ‘go’ and Diego would kill every last one of his enemies. That was just who Diego was. Not exactly a killer, per se, but a man driven by anger. His thirst for revenge or retribution had always been loud and strong. Maybe Diego thought that this was the only way he would be able to achieve anything in life. Maybe Diego thought that in destroying those who had hurt Klaus, he might be able to make up for everything that had happened. Klaus, however, knew what a gentle heart his brother had underneath all his bravado.

Their journey back home was a blur. He remembered the cabin vaguely. He remembered Harold Jenkins - dead on the floor. Vanya had killed him. Vanya, before any one of them could have done anything. Her anger and righteous fury had gotten the better of her. She had _ killed_. Killed for him and for herself. 

He didn't want to kill. 

He remembered killing their father. It hadn't been his choice but he had still done it. He didn't want to kill.

Apparently, they had all slept in the parlor again because that was where Klaus had woken up at last in the morning, tucked in neatly in a soft blanket on the sofa, his head on Diego’s lap, his sisters asleep on the other couch, arm in arm. It had been a very odd morning after. This kind of awkwardness when no one really knew what to say or how to approach a situation. And so, during breakfast, Five had laid out his plan to him. 

Five and his plans … Klaus had never been a big fan.

»So?« Diego asked as he lost the last bit of his scarce patience. He had watched his brother’s leg bump up and down quickly for the past ten seconds while he had allowed himself to drown in his thoughts.

»No.« Klaus muttered quietly and shook his head much to the surprise of the rest of his siblings around the table. Mom was humming a nursery rhyme behind them as she was doing the dishes. He felt the urge to help her - to just be a normal kid again for just a moment and help his mom. Even if she was just a robot and he just a child that had been sold to a billionaire. 

»What do you mean ‘No’?« Five argued back. »Didn't you listen to what I was saying?«

»I did.« He remained calm and that only served to infuriate his twin even more. »I don't want to take revenge on him.«

»Klaus.« Diego’s voice was adjuratory as he leaned a bit further down on the table. He wanted this. Diego clearly wanted to entice Klaus to give his consent. Hell, as if his siblings had ever needed that. »This man tortured you and locked you up for eighteen years. You have to feel _ something_. You have to be angry!«

»I am.« He shrugged. »I am angry. I do feel something. But I … I don't think revenge is the way to go. Revenge is never a good idea. It only brings more heartache.« 

He could tell that this was not at all what his family had wished to hear from him. He didn't even know if he could blame them or not. After all, shouldn't this be his choice to make? Shouldn't he be the one who was the most invested in this topic? However, after the things he had seen last night at the cabin in the woods, he felt kind of numb to the whole situation as if all of this had lost its meaning the moment one of his tormentors had died. 

»I mean … I won’t stop you if you decide to go after him anyway.« He then continued quietly. »It's just that I don't want to see him ever again or deal with him ever again in _ any _way.« 

»That's okay.« Vanya reassured him as she took a hold of his hand. While Diego sat on his right-hand side, she occupied the space to his left. He didn't feel like it was okay, though. He felt like his siblings were disappointed in him now. They had wanted him to go through with it and now he wasn't. Maybe this was not only about him. Maybe they were craving revenge on the man that had taken him all those years ago just the same. And here he was again, the family disappointment. »We get it. You don't have to do anything, Klaus.« 

As he looked at Diego, however, his brother didn't meet his gaze.

The truth was that the thought of having to see Blackwood again scared him shitless. 

※※※※※※※

The reporters in front of the house had ceased their siege two days ago after Luther went out to them and told them that the Umbrella Academy would soon make an official statement about the return of their long lost brother. For now, they kept Five’s return under wraps - if only to have an ace up their sleeve. Well, of course, maybe Alison had been a bit more persuasive than her brother but that was beside the point. 

The night was dark and silent as it rested on the street on which the academy was located. Barely anyone was around so late at night. The occasional car flashed their lights into the windows of the ancient buildings and drew shadows all over the walls like nightmarish creatures as Klaus sat in his room and stared at the wall across from him. He knew that his siblings were waiting downstairs, hidden from sight. Waiting. 

All he needed to do was, as soon as he would hear a car park in front of the door, to yell out of the window. All he would need to do was warn the man that would enter their house through the unlocked front door. That was all he would need to do. Open his window and yell out that it was a trap. He could do it. And Blackwood … He would be proud of him. He would praise him for his obedience. 

Instead, he stayed where he was, rooted to the spot while his heart was racing and his hands and feet felt numb. He knew the plan his siblings were following by heart. Two days ago, they had sent a message to Blackwood. After going through Harold’s remaining stuff, it had been easy to find the right way to do it. There was a P.O. box that Harold had sent letters to, informing Blackwood of his progress concerning Vanya. 

As it had turned out, Blackwood had not left the country at all. He had just left the city and sent one of his personal assistants to collect his mail from the P.O. box every day. Knowing this, it had been easy to send another letter, posing as Harold and informing Blackwood that not only had he wrapped Vanya around his little finger but that the brainwashing of Klaus had been a success and that everything was ready for Blackwood to come to the academy. 

They couldn't be sure, of course, if the old man would actually follow this invitation but knowing Blackwood personally … He had no reason to distrust Harold or to believe that there might be foul play involved. After all, he had gotten Klaus to kill his own father. Why should Harold’s report be fake then? In Blackwood’s eyes, he had succeeded and he would come to see the last of his plan come to fruition. He would come to see how Vanya and Klaus would destroy Reginald Hargreeves’ life’s work and their siblings in the process and after that - well, there would be nothing stopping them from going after the rest of the world to reform it to Blackwood’s liking, right?

»He’s coming.« He found himself whispering into the void of his own dark room. He could feel the lingering spirits around him like he used to in his childhood. He remembered being so fucking afraid all the time. It seemed stupid now that he knew what real fear looked like. He felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. He felt like the little boy who had walked those corridors all by himself in the middle of the night, going after a weird sound that had shaken him from his slumber. 

He could hear the spirits whispering around him like rain falling on the pavement outside but it was his brother, Ben, standing near the window, that he was focused on. »You know that you don't have to do anything.« His brother informed him quietly. »You can just stay up here and wait it out. The others get it.«

»No, they really don't.« Klaus sighed with a soft smile and a shake of his head. They didn't understand it. And how could they? _ He _didn't understand it. »Especially not Diego.«

»Who cares?« Ben scoffed. »This is your life and your decision. You don't owe them or him.« 

»But I do, don't I?« 

He was stuck in a loop. Like the ghosts circling around the house, stuck in their own little loop, sometimes even stuck in the moment they died. They were restless and confused and didn't know where to go next or how to move on into the afterlife. Maybe he too was a ghost. Maybe he had died and just never realized it. It wouldn't be that big of a surprise, he guessed. Yes, perhaps he was dead. Perhaps this was his loop. He would go to his father's office and there he would find a group of masked strangers.

He got up from his bed without thinking about it even for a second. Thinking about it would mean that he wouldn't move at all. He was done not moving. He was done being tied to a bed in a brightly lit room. He was done being afraid. 

»You know that you don't need to do that.«

»But I do.« Ben didn't try to stop him. He could, of course. Klaus knew that he could but he wouldn't even try. This was something he had to do and they both knew it. He needed to go back to his loop. He needed to go back to the day he died. Deep down, Klaus thought, even Diego and the others knew that he would not stay up here and cower like a fucking child. He couldn't. It was not an option. This was not about facing his fears anymore. It was about moving forward. Not about taking revenge, but about taking back his life. And sometimes moving forward meant to take a step back first. Sometimes moving forward meant to revisit the past.

He stepped out of his room without even thinking of switching on any light. As he stepped out into the corridor, it was like stepping into a ghost town. He barely registered the blue-ish specters that were roaming the halls of the academy. They seemed a bit antsy, restless - not hostile, though. Not towards him, at least. 

He decided not to look at any of them directly but it felt as if he was leading an army into battle. Maybe that was it.

He walked down the corridor with confidence and after that a flight of stairs. He didn't know exactly where his siblings were hiding out but he knew that they were around. He could feel them around, their auras, their energies. He called upon them, perhaps even, drew from their energy. Vanya’s aura was like a lighthouse in the stormy sea now that she was embracing who she really was - bright white and blinding like the light of the full moon above them. She had a long way ahead of her, of course. 

Five was not yet convinced that they had averted the apocalypse. Maybe he was right. Maybe the apocalypse was just beginning. He could feel it in the air, could feel the energy vibrating. He couldn't even tell if it was him or not. It was the 31st of March, almost midnight. Five had always said the apocalypse would come on April 1st. Maybe now was the time. Maybe he had been right all along. Maybe it was him.

The thought didn't even scare him. His siblings would stop him. Diego would stop him. If he would go rogue. Diego would stop him. He trusted his brother. Only his brother.

His first instinct told him to walk down into the parlor, sit down at that coffee table that looked like a Ouija board and wait for Blackwood to come but then he walked down the corridor and towards his father's office. He had not stepped foot into that room for eighteen years and now he felt drawn towards it. To the place where all of this mess had started. Maybe it would be the place where it would all end as well. Maybe it was naive thinking this. 

And yet, here he was, walking into the office of his father, as if this room would hold all the answers he needed. He wasn't surprised to see the light coming from inside the room and neither was he surprised to see the man sitting behind the desk. He had this air of authority radiating from him as if this was his house, as if this was his chair, his office, as if Klaus was his son, his property. Maybe this was partially true. Maybe he had played right into this man’s cards from the beginning without even knowing it. 

»It's good to see you again, Number Four.« 

He was back in his little white room for just a moment. He didn't want to but he couldn't help it either. It was what it was. And Blackwood was there in his father's chair, sitting at his father's desk just the way he remembered him to look like. Even in the dim light of his father’s desk lamp, he could tell how expensive the suit was that Blackwood was wearing. He seemed even fatter than the last time he had seen him. Life in exile had been good to him as it seemed, and the light was reflecting ever so slightly off his glasses and his balding head. 

There he was, the source of his nightmares and yet he seemed … human. Dreadfully so. He was just a man. Blackwood was just an old man and Klaus was infinitely more powerful than him. It was the first time since all of this had started that Klaus came to realize that. He wouldn't even need to touch the man to kill him. He could rip him to shreds much like Vanya had with Harold without lifting a finger. 

And Blackwood too seemed to realize this now as his expression suddenly changed from self-assured and cocky to a look of fear hidden behind a veil of superficial anger. »Number Four!« His voice held all the authority Klaus still heard in his dreams from time to time. Only then did he realize that he had made some of the things inside the office float like deadly projectiles, ready to strike their intended target. »Number Four, remember what we discussed! Remember what we planned! Focus! Where are the others?« 

»Asleep.« He lied and Blackwood seemed satisfied with that answer as he slowly got up from Reginald’s chair.

»Good.« He nodded as he took his little pocket watch out of its pocket and cast a look on it. »Good. Yes, that should do it. Where is Harold?«

»He is dead.« Blackwood’s expression changed again as he looked at Klaus more closely and then at the still hovering objects all around the room, all pointed directly at him. It would be so easy. He would just need to … do it. And he wanted to. He really wanted to. He wanted to inflict pain, to kill. He wanted to destroy. He wanted to tear everything down - even the academy. The whole world if nothing else. 

»What?« Blackwood tried to stay calm but he couldn't fool Klaus. »Did you kill him?«

»No … No, it was my sister.« Klaus shrugged. Beneath his feet, he could feel the ground shake and hear the creaking of the big chandelier in the front hall as it swung softly from one side to the other. Soon everything would crash and burn. Blackwood would be dead, his siblings too. But it would be okay because Klaus would follow them. Whatever would be waiting after would be better than this anyway.

»Number Four … focus now. Did you forget that your siblings forgot about you? That your siblings never came for you? Or your father? They never tried finding you, remember that. They didn't care about you. Remember that, Number Four. It's them you want to hurt, not me.« 

Was this fear he could see in Blackwood’s bug-like eyes? Blackwood had never been afraid of him. He didn't need to. He had always had this switch he could pull and then there would have been electricity shooting through Klaus. 

»They have ruined your life, remember? They held you back - all of them. They laughed about you and belittled you, made you the lookout - never a part of the team! Always the butt of their jokes. It was worse than being cast aside like your sister, right?« 

The words stung and they gave futter to the monster that he held buried deep inside his stomach. 

»They never took you seriously and they never will. The best you could hope for is that they will fear you and your powers because you are more powerful than all of them! Next to them, you are a _ god_, Number Four! You could tear this place down brick by brick and there is nothing they could do about it! Let them feel your wrath!« 

He was back inside the lab. Back on the metal table with those electrodes digging into his scalp. He was back to the humming of the razor as Blackwood shaved off all his hair to have better access to his brain. He was back to the needles poking his skin and the cuts littering his body. He was back to the pain of the beatings and the cold of his cell and the ice-cold showers. He was back to being starved and taunted and tortured.

He could see Blackwood’s expression faltering as he too seemed to understand what was happening inside Klaus’ head. He backed away, even just by a few steps now and held out his hands placatingly, seemingly suddenly afraid of Klaus and what he might do to him. The room seemed crowded now as all the spirits inside the house seemed drawn to the office, blue specters with fury in their eyes. He knew that he was levitating off the ground without needing to look at his feet. He could feel it and around him, the house was shaking - quaking in fear like Blackwood.

»Number Four!« 

»My name« He spoke slowly, his voice low like a growl even to his own ears. »is _ Klaus_.« He sent the ghosts to attack without even thinking about it, without even realizing it. He wanted to kill and maim and tear apart and see the horror and the pain in the eyes of his tormentor. Blackwood’s screams tore through the academy and they were, for a moment, all he could hear.

And wasn’t it just the most beautiful sound in the world?

»Klaus!« Diego’s voice made him snap out of it. »Don't!« 

As he turned to look at him, he found his siblings standing in the open door. Diego’s body kept them from entering the room, his arms outstretched to both sides to keep them behind him. If anything would go wrong, if the bomb would explode, Diego would be the first to go. His best friend - the person who had always been out looking for him and never given up on him.

»He-«

»You wouldn't be able to live with yourself!« Diego demanded. »That's not you! Don't let him make you into a monster now! You said it yourself, remember? _ Revenge is never a good idea. It only brings more heartache. _ We can deliver him to the police! We have what we need, Klaus! Please! He’ll never see the outside world ever again and rot in prison like he forced you to rot in a cell! Death would be a mercy!« 

And Diego was right. His brother might have been all for killing Blackwood before but now … Did he finally understand what Klaus said? Had he actually listened? He knew that his brother was right and yet his desire to kill was almost overwhelming. 

»He’s tearing down the house!« There was another voice, shrill, scared - Allison? Allison was scared of him. He could see it in her eyes as he found her somewhere behind Diego. He could see what she wanted to say. _ He’s out of control. He’s gonna destroy everything. _He never wanted his siblings to be afraid of him. And that's what Blackwood achieved, wasn’t it? He felt like a balloon that was popped with a needle. 

And this time, he didn't need Five to hit him over the head. He didn't need anyone to beat him down into unconsciousness. For the first time, he himself managed to control it, to rein himself back in. As his feet touched the ground again, the spell was broken, the ghosts were gone, the house stopped shivering and trembling, the objects fell to the ground and Blackwood was left a shivering, yet alive, mess on the floor.

He couldn't stay inside the room. He knew that. His legs felt like buckling and so he turned away from the man who had tormented him for such a long time. He almost fell into Diego’s arms as his brother greeted him at the door but Diego caught him around his shoulders and dragged one of his arms across his own sturdy shoulders to support him. 

»You are weak!« Blackwood spat. »Like your father always said! You are a disappointment, Number Four! An utter failure!« 

But Klaus didn't look back as he left the office. He didn't flinch at his words. He just kept on walking with Diego by his side and Ben hovering close by. And, for the first time, he felt like he was really coming home. 

»I was too soft.« Klaus whispered.

»Don't worry.« It was Ben who gave a small chuckle. »He’s alone now with Luther and Five.« 

**-End of Chapter 17-**


	18. Epilog

**** Dust particles lingered in the air and shimmered like glitter as Diego Hargreeves opened the door to the room with the key he had just received. To Klaus, there was something magical about opening that door and stepping into that room for the very first time. To others, it was just a room with windows that had gone blind from years and years of collecting dirt and dust bunnies in the corners. To others, like Five, that room was just a ruin and not even worth their money. To Klaus and Diego, however, it was the most beautiful place they had ever stepped in.

Because it was theirs. This was so much more than just a room in a moldy apartment complex. This was their future office. This was their new home in a way. Here they would set up shop and no one could take that from them. 

»Out of the way!« A gruff voice ordered from behind them. Klaus and Diego shared a look before actually jumping out of the way as Luther came barging into the tiny dusty room with a stack of cardboard boxes in his arms. He had stacked them so high on top of each other that he could definitely not see the room anymore. »Delivery for the Hargreeves Detective Agency!« Luther announced dramatically as he sat down the stack of heavy boxes in the middle of their new office. It still felt so unreal to be here and to know what they were going to do with this place.

Their own detective agency … Fuck. It had been Diego's idea, of course. A year had passed since the almost apocalypse and since Blackwood had been sent to prison for his crimes. Getting the evidence they needed against the old man had been easy after this. Their father's trusted lawyers had easily ripped the old man apart and now he would spend the rest of his life in prison. Just like Diego had told him, Blackwood would rot behind bars the same way he had forced Klaus to rot. If there was some justice to all of this, Blackwood would have at least eighteen years of this before his death. Perhaps then he would understand what he had taken from Klaus. And yet, even that didn't quite seem enough.

A lot had happened this past year. At least for Klaus, it felt like it. Being in the real world, back home and with his family was still weird to him and it still felt so very odd that he sometimes didn't know what to make of it but he was not alone in that either, right? Five had it just as bad as he had and his brother, by some miracle, had actually proven himself to be quite helpful in his recovery. At some point, the both of them had realized that they needed professional help and, with Diego’s support, he had actually gotten that help too.

Diego, on the other hand, had focused on the academy for a while. Training with Luther, getting back into the meat of it all, helping Vanya to train her powers. By now the Umbrella Academy was a force to be reckoned with again and Klaus thought sometimes that their father would be proud - if that would even be possible for the old man. Not that it would matter what Reginald would think about any of this. Reginald, no matter how much he had hoped as a child would rescue him, had proven to be the world’s worst father as he had decided to let him rot instead. Reginald didn't matter. Blackwood didn't matter. 

And, fuck,  _ he  _ was proud. 

Klaus blankly stared ahead while Diego and Luther were taking care of the boxes that were already inside the room. He watched idly how his brother took out one of his knives to slice the box open and how Luther turned away to leave Diego to it for now.

»I’m getting the rest.« Luther smiled as he passed by him and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Only that made Klaus come back out of his head. He still got lost in there from time to time but it was getting better. 

»Scared?« Diego mocked as he waved for Klaus to come over to him and help him. He followed the order with a soft roll of his eyes.

»Maybe a little.«

»Well, tough luck then, Buddy. There is no going back now.« 

»I know.« Klaus huffed and grabbed one of the knives from Diego's holster to open another box. »Still, it's scary.«

»Yeah, I guess it is.« Diego admitted and nudged his shoulder with his own. »But that's part of the fun, right? A new adventure.«

»A new adventure.« Klaus agreed with a little hum and bumped his big brother’s shoulder once more. It really was scary this new thing that they were trying here. Diego had needed quite some time to get over being kicked out of the force and yet it had been his idea to open up this detective agency with Klaus. Five had called it cheating to involve Klaus. After all, if there was a murder, Klaus could just talk to the victim and ask who did it. Neither one of them minded that though. 

The frightening thing, though, was the possibility of failure - or maybe even that people would storm their office that were only interested in them as the Umbrella Academy kids. He was afraid of having to close this joint down in a couple of months and admit that Diego and he might not have thought this through enough. He was afraid of Diego feeling humiliated if anyone from his old life would choose to come for him or taunt him about this new business. Diego and he had had time enough to talk during this past year. Apparently, his brother had not been the most popular guy in his precinct. Apparently, most of his colleagues had been friends with Eudora, Diego’s ex-girlfriend who had left and moved away after their inevitable break up. He could only hope his brother would find some nice girl or guy soon again. Someone who would take him the way he was and accept the crazy that was Diego Hargreeves. 

The thrill and the excitement of this new thing that they were creating, however, superseded his fear. After everything he had been through those last nineteen years of his life, this right here was something that just felt good to him. It was his own thing with the person he trusted the most in the whole wide world - apart from Ben, of course. What bad things could happen when he was doing this with his big brother anyway? He was building something for himself and for once he felt like he was truly free.

»Knock, knock?« 

Diego and he turned around at once and he could see the defensive stance Diego immediately took. It was his default. It wasn't his fault. In the doorway stood a young man, about the same age as they were. Dirty blonde hair, a square jaw with a jawline so sharp Klaus might just cut himself on it. He was tall - at least as tall as they were - and clad in a dirt-colored army uniform with his jacket leisurely flung over his shoulder and his dark tank top showing off his guns in a way that would make Klaus swoon instantly usually. Right now, however, he was just certain to hallucinate a man so perfect and dangerously handsome. The smile the young man gave them was dazzling - at least to Klaus.

»We’re not open yet.« Diego’s gruff voice pulled him back out of his little daydream in which the stranger pushed him against the closest wall to have his way with him. Well, certainly eighteen years of isolation had done horrible things to his libido. 

»Oh, I know, don't worry.« The man said and slowly took a step into the room. He noticed how his eyes darted from Diego back to Klaus in an instant. »I live upstairs and just came home. My Ma has the flat next door to you guys. She told me that you guys were moving in. I wanted to ask if you need some help? I’m Dave, by the way.« 

**-End of Chapter 18-**


End file.
